"From what I can see, they have to do a better job of identifying the younger studs and kind of lovin' on those guys really early the way the other big dogs do like Florida State, Alabama, Ohio State," Ross said. "They identify those young kids pretty early on and do a good job making sure that 'hey man, we love you, we want you to come here.' From my experience and how [Florida has] been around us, they tend to wait until that kid has those big-time, Power 5 offers and then they try to sneak in."

http://insider.espn.com/blog/sec/insider/post?id=126381

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The author is indirectly asserting that Chump's recruiting was better than Mac's. On the basis of class rankings, Chump's was better. On the basis of individual rankings, Chump's was better. Unfortunately for Chump, rankings don't play football. Players do. So these aren't the only valid considerations. On the basis of overall offensive talent recruited, Chump's classes were among the WORST IN THE COUNTRY. On the basis of balance between offense and defense, Chump's classes were among the WORST IN THE COUNTRY (he greatly overloaded the defense). On the basis of production from offensive players recruited, Chump's classes were among the WORST IN THE COUNTRY. That's why our offense has been among the worst in the country over the past five years (yes, even the last two). On the basis of productive players, Chump's classes were mediocre. We had a ton of busts.

So on the basis of these more important factors, Mac's classes have easily been better than Chump's. Granted, that in and of itself doesn't say much, given that Mac only had to be better than worst in the country with regard to these factors (getting offensive talent, landing a balanced class, getting future production out of recruits) to surpass Chump. On these fronts, he's doing decently. Not great, though. We're clearly behind many programs.

Why is this? Is it ENTIRELY Mac's fault? Many keep asserting so. To me, though, it's like asserting that two equally strong and able young men should be able to do roughly the same amount of push ups. But one guy is going to have to do them with one arm. Then when he cannot do so, those people assert he's just making excuses. Such criticism is pointless blaming. (I mean, seriously, blaming Mac for being "late" in recruiting a Florida kid when the other big programs were recruiting him a year in advance of Mac even being here? That's friggin' stupid.)

What's needed is a look at the entire system (which is the opposite of complacency). Where are we weak? Do we have some weak recruiters? Yes. Is Mac himself complacent about recruiting? Hard to tell, but I certainly don't think so. He's getting good players, he's replacing weak recruiters, and he's lobbying for better facilities. On that note, are our facilities way behind those of our competitors? YES. Blaming Mac or anyone for this is pointless. Fix them. Do we have self-imposed limits to our recruiting? Yes. So consider removing them.

Imo, Zook recruited better than Spurrier. Not necessarily overall, but Zook's three years were definitely better than Spurrier's last three. Meyer was about the same as Zook. He landed us some true greats, but a fair analysis of Meyers shows inconsistencies. His highest rate class was in large part a bust. Recruiting nose-dived under Chump, not according to the rankings, but clearly so when looked at holistically. His classes were unbelievably unbalanced. Perhaps the worst recruiter of offensive linemen in the country. Without question the worst recruiter of offensive talent of any of the top programs. Average when it came to getting production (which is largely based on assessment before they get to college).

Mac is easily better than Chump. Easily. Does this mean we're landing great classes? No. We aren't. Right now we're fulfilling needs and building a complete team. Is Mac doing a great job recruiting given the state of everything (facilities, coaches, etc.)? That's a tough thing to measure. I'd say he's doing pretty well given that he has one hand tied behind his back. And he's lobbying to have that restraint removed. Is Mac laying inroads to future FL recruits? Yes. We're clearly making progress here, and given how talent-rich the state is, this is essential.

Some expect great results from effed up inputs. They're of course going to be disappointed. What matters is the process, and being dedicated to improving that process continually. Contrast this attitude with the, "We're Florida for pete's sake! Kids should just want to come here!" And then those same people call the kids needy and spoiled for expecting the same things from Florida that a dozen other great football schools are willing to offer.

It's time to dedicate ourselves to continually improving the process. Meyer did not do this. Chump definitely did not do this. Mac, however, has already demonstrated this quality. He might not develop great teams that can compete for national championships. But he's at least re-aligning our philosophy and efforts to put us back on that path.