If we hit the rewind machine back to the end of October, Florida Football wasn't doing so great, while Miami felt like the king of the world. The Hurricanes were 9-0, and all they had to do was finish 2-1 against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Syracuse.
In a flash, Miami went from national title aspirations to playing this Saturday in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. And comments Mario Cristobal made back in October haven't quite aged as well as he wishes they would have.
Florida Football: Back to Earth
On3 just put out a graphic that highlighted where the top ten players out of the class of 2025 from the state of Florida wound up committing to. Four of the top ten players in the state are heading to Gainesville, highlighted by the flip of wide receiver Dallas Wilson.
Where the top 2025 recruits in Florida signed🌴
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) December 26, 2024
(Note: Does not include out-of-state transfers to IMG Academy)https://t.co/FB57Ho0ZlD pic.twitter.com/RaWLraLX4s
According to the 247 Team Rankings for the class of 2025, Florida is 10th in the country, ahead of Miami at 14th and FSU at 20th.
It is quite the reversal from October when Cristobal boldly stated after beating FSU that:
"All recruits, in-state, out of state, can now clearly see the trajectory of this program versus the other programs (in the state)."
Now, Miami fans are correct in pointing out that the Hurricanes beat Florida in The Swamp by a lot to a little to open the 2024 season.
So, the follow-up question is, why isn't the trajectory of your program better?
How is it that you still can't out-recruit the guy that we here at Hail Florida Hail declared was a snake oil salesman who better find oil soon after Miami crushed Florida?
One of the best seasons in recent Miami history still can't generate enough momentum to surpass a program that was left for dead in October.
So enjoy the Pop-Tarts Bowl; it's actually a perfect representation of Miami:
Sugary, full of flash, but also crumbles easily under pressure.