Extra time on job shows in Muschamp's 2012 class

<p>When UF coach Will Muschamp took the podium last year following National Signing Day, he made a strong point in his opening statement.</p><p>“Recruiting is all about developing relationships and trust,” he said. “And it's tough to do that in a short period of time.”</p><p>Of the 19 signees Florida had in 2011, only five were prospects that committed after Muschamp took over for Urban Meyer. He missed on more than a dozen of his targets and didn't finish in the top-10 nationally on Rivals and Scout.</p><p>That's almost unheard of at Florida, and Muschamp received some criticism for his first class. It's hard to judge a head coach after just one year on the sidelines, and Rivals' national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell says the same applies to recruiting.</p><p>“It's unfair to really grade somebody on their first recruiting class when they're taking over for somebody else,” Farrell said. “The same thing happened with Meyer back when he took over for (Ron) Zook. It's an awkward transition. You're trying to keep the kids in the class that are already committed, and then you're having to introduce yourself to a prospect that you weren't recruiting, especially coming from Texas to Florida.</p><p>“Recruiting is about building up trust, and you need a long time to do that. So with this being the first full year for him and his staff getting to know kids on a deeper level, that's absolutely huge.”</p><p>The proof is in the pudding. With a whole year to recruit, Muschamp signed a consensus top-five class and even pulled some signing day surprises. He wouldn't have been able to flip five-star linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. from FSU and add receiver Raphael Andrades so late if he hadn't built relationships with them.</p><p>“There's no question from a recruiting standpoint, there is a trust factor, and when you build relationships with people, and that's really what recruiting is, you're just building relationships with people and you're presenting a great product in the University of Florida,” Muschamp said Wednesday. “It's a great school, great opportunity, great tradition, and I think a lot of young men see that.”</p><p>Muschamp has his own vision of what Florida's program should be, and now he can lay down the foundation for it with his own players.</p><p>“It's the first stepping stone of his blueprint being laid down and a group of student-athletes that only know that blueprint,” said Tom Luginbill, ESPN's National Recruiting Director. “It's not an inherited group that had established relationships with the previous staff. It's his guys. Guys he hand picked for a variety of what I call critical factors. It's the first stage of building his roster with the type of player and person that he's trying to get in his program.”</p><p>Unlike the current players on Florida's roster, there will be no transition with the 23 recruits Muschamp signed Wednesday. They have only marched to the beat of his drum, and now it will be easier to instill that tune within the team.</p><p>“When you bring this group in, all they know is you,” Luginbill said. “They don't know a previous regime or a previous set of coaches. They're going to be co-mingling with the current roster and that's how you establish your group. And as with any coaching change that takes place, there's gonna be attrition with the roster you inherited. Some guys aren't going to buy in, and you're going to end up losing them as a result. But that's part of getting your football team the way you want it to be.”</p><p>The Florida Way.</p>