article by Will Myles (formerly of SEC country).

https://www.readandreaction.com/2018/07/08/recruiting-the-myth-of-showing-it-on-the-field/

and it really isn't any more complicated than that. AT ALL.

He mentions off the top that we are losing recruiting battles - right now - with the likes of USC, Alabama, LSU and Oregon.

Garsh, what do THOSE schools all have in common, vis-a-vis UF?  They all are putting out a better football product - right now - on the field than us.  They all have had better teams lately, been more fun to watch, won more games and scored more points than us.  They've all spent more times in the national polls/rankings, finished higher, and gone to more/better bowl games.

I went ahead and read the rest of the article, and while i don't disagree with all of his arguments or data snippets, his use of them to further a butt-hurt personal agenda "conclude" that recruiting results are not DIRECTLY tied to recent on-field performance is, well, just plain incorrect and wrong-headed.  He defeated his own argument before he ever even argued it.

I like and applaud his plea for arguments and counter-arguments to be based on merit rather than attitude, but he stated most clearly right there in the opener......it just didn't end up proving what he'd wanted it to prove.

I believe like many here that recruiting is the lifeblood of the program, and like many, so far i'm not overwhelmed with the apparent results of the Mullen regime.  But like it or not folks, with where our football program has dwelled lately and the way it has looked, it is just going to HAVE TO show something on the field before the top recruits start lining up.  All the partial/narrow/biased little stat samples in the world won't, and can't, disprove that.