Florida football: Don’t be too quick to judge Mullen on 2019 exoduses

The recruiting class of 2020 has been good for Florida football coach Dan Mullen. However, the strong class of 2019 may be problematic.

Just when you think things are finally going your way, something comes about to kick you down.

Florida football coach Dan Mullen has developed a strong track record for the classes of 2019 and 2020.

Landing prospects like Deyavie Hammond, Jalon Jones, Chris Steele and others seemed to be a precursor to what would turn out to be an even stronger 2020 recruiting class.

Now, however, it seems the class of 2019 is unraveling right before Mullen’s eyes.

Jalon Jones was forced to transfer following assault allegations and Steele followed suit after the school would not allow him to move out of Jones’ dorm room.

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I get Jones. While we don’t know the extent of the allegations, it is something the program doesn’t need swirling around it. As for Steele, well, I just can’t understand the actions — or inaction — of the coaching staff to not address the situation and move Steele elsewhere.

Things got worse over the weekend when Hammond tweeted that he would not be able to join the Gators due to a failure to qualify academically.

Four-star linebacker Diwun Black had to enroll at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for academic reasons as well.

The Orlando Sentinel reported there are other signees from the class of 2019 who may not be able to attend Florida due to academics.

Four-star wide receiver Arjei Henderson, three-star wide receiver Dionte Marks and offensive lineman Wardrick Wilson — who may have an additional issue getting a visa — all seem to have some sort of academic issue that may prevent them from playing for the Gators anytime soon.

The downhill slide of the class of 2019 continued Monday when reserve cornerback Brian Edwards announced on Twitter that he would be leaving the program after two seasons.

https://twitter.com/MDK6ixx/status/1148248050600697856

While Edwards doesn’t give a specific reason for entering the transfer portal, you can’t help but thing is has something to do with the misdemeanor battery charge he faced — which was subsequently dropped due to lack of evidence.

It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason these issues are happening. It is a problem with the atmosphere in Gainesville? I somehow doubt that.

I just wonder if it is an issue with the type of player the coaching staff elects to recruit.

While the number of stars in front of a recruit and the prospect of those players fitting into the system is likely the prevailing thought coaches have when looking at a player, there are often other aspects of a player that gets overlooked.

Don’t get me wrong, you can’t really lay the blame on Mullen and the coaching staff because only hindsight is 20/20. You can’t look into a crystal ball and see if a player will be able to qualify for college academically.

You can’t see if a player will potentially get themselves into a situation that involves the law.

So, let’s not be too quick to judge Mullen and the coaching staff, simply because they don’t possess that crystal ball.

But, the fact remains Florida football will have to find a way to stem the tide of the recent off-field issues it faces with the class of 2019. If they don’t, it is going to reverb across other classes, including the strong class of 2020.