Florida's furious finish is one for the ages

It is a safe bet to state that exactly one week ago today many in the Gator Nation were just a tad bit unhappy with where Florida stood recruiting wise.

Though after today's events it seems like ages ago, in reality it was just last Wednesday afternoon that Florida fell to No. 34 in the Rivals team recruiting rankings after Rivals100 cornerback Elijah Blades decided that he was no longer committed to the Gators.

Based on talent, need and ranking, Blades was widely considered to be one of Florida's top one or two commitments at the time.

To say that his abrupt departure was akin to a seismic event in the world of recruiting would be an understatement.

However, that was then, this is now.

What a difference a week makes.

What a difference a day makes.

Or, in the case of Florida football recruiting, what a difference just four minutes shy of 24 hours makes.

At 3:48 p.m Tuesday afternoon Florida stood at No. 19 in the Rivals recruiting rankings.

One minute later, four-star defensive tackle Elijah Conliffe publicly committed to the Gators to move the Orange & Blue up two spots to No. 17.

By the time Florida announced their final signee – four-star Adarius Lemons - at 3:44 p.m Wednesday, the Gators had moved up 10 total spots to No. 9 in the recruiting rankings.

Today's furious finish saw Florida pick up five four-star commitments in the space of several hours.

Here's how Florida's incredible dash to the finish line unfolded.

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* Florida coaches share signee evaluations

* Worton no longer with football team

* McElwain discusses the addition of Robinson

* Video Analysis: Florida adds Robinson

* Signing Day Central

* GET TWO FREE MONTHS OF INSIDE THE GATORS

* Looks like Florida will finish 9th in recruiting rankings

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Blake’s Take: This is a guy the Florida staff has had a good feeling about their chances of landing for the last several weeks. After naming the Gators his leading during Army All-American week, UF continued to trend in the right direction. Though he is listed as an offensive lineman, the Gators will be counting on Slaton to play defensive tackle when he arrives in Gainesville. Slaton has ideal size and is very powerful, which gives him the ability to push blockers out of the way with ease. He is a basketball kid as well, so his footwork is impressive for as large he is.

On the Mark: Obviously this is one of the bigger signees of this cycle - and no I am not referring to his purported 360-pounds. Florida desperately needs help along the defensive line and he looks like the rare true freshman who could actually be counted on to contribute early.

Blake’s Take: This South Florida linebacker was an unknown for the majority of his recruiting process. The Gators have had him in their radar for quite a while now, but wanted to keep him under wraps for as long as they possibly could. Florida has a big need at the linebacker position, and planned on taking four total after Alex Anzalone declared for the NFL Draft. Brunson actually silently committed to the staff this past weekend at the conclusion of his official visit. It seems the Gators wanted to wait to see how things played out with Levi Jones this morning before giving Brunson the green light.

On the Mark: Earlier in the week Blake informed me that he (Brunson, not Blake) had committed to Florida, but they weren't prepared to accept until they saw how things panned out on Signing Day. Thus, my first take when seeing Florida announce the arrival of his signed LOI was that accepting this two-star was an omen of bad things to come. We found out soon enough that I was of course wrong about it signifying the class had jumped the tracks. We won't know until further down the road though as to whether he can become the rare two-star who is at least a semi-major contributor.

Blake’s Take: What a wild ride this one turned into over the last couple of weeks. Florida was considered the team to beat here for most of the fall, but Miami closed the gap in January, and seemed to even take the lead over the last week or so. However, it was the Gators who pulled this one out in the 11th hour just before pen went to paper. It was the pedigree of defensive backs the Gators have produced over the years, especially the last couple of seasons, that swayed the momentum back in Florida’s favor.

On the Mark: Many will probably read this and think I need to be fitted for a straight jacket, but this very well may be the most important prospect Florida signed and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if in the end he has a better career than Blades. Of the defensive backs signed, he not only is the most likely to play early, I think he has the most upside.

Blake’s Take: This is a guy Florida has stayed in touch with since the summer months when he was offered, but it wasn't until over the last month that Florida really began to push hard. Edwards visited Louisville and Miami as well as Florida in January with his trip to Gainesville falling this past weekend. Heading into that visit Edwards had silently committed to the Hurricanes, but after seeing Florida over the weekend he also told the Gators he was coming. After going back and forth between the two over the last few days, Edwards locked himself in with Florida and informed the staff on Tuesday evening he was coming.

On the Mark: While I am incredibly high on his south Florida counterpart Henderson, I'm not as sold on Edwards. No, I am not a talent evaluator, and never claimed to be. He looks a bit more stiff and though he has better size, he doesn't look overly physical.

Blake’s Take: This was easily the most shocking news of the day for Florida. The Gators have been the team to beat for the last several months, and the Florida staff even considered him a silent commitment. However, after being cited for Marijuana possession on an official visit to Ohio State, Florida’s admissions made the call this past Monday that they would not allow the staff to sign him. However, Jim McElwain and many other members of the coaching staff continued to work hard to find a way to get him in. After meeting with Robinson this past Friday for an in-home visit, McElwain felt Robinson genuinely had learned a lesson from his mistakes, and was able to finally provide those in charge to give him a second chance.

On the Mark: Talk about a boom or bust signee. When you go to bat for someone like this, to the extent which it is obvious McElwain did to get the admin to give him the green light to sign him, there's a lot riding on the line for coach and prospect alike. We have all messed up in life, but to do what he did on his visit, is akin to doing it while on a job interview. There are mistakes, and then there are serious lapses of judgement. The baggage aside, the tools are there, and - as a plus - he might project to the secondary better than he does as a receiver. What becomes of him, is up to him.

Blake’s Take: After getting kicked out of his high school and missing his senior season Florida split ties with Lemons. However, the Gators staff remained in contact while Lemons worked on his off field issues. Seeing his world turned upside down was enough to give Lemons the kick in the rear that he needed to work hard to get back into Florida’s class. Lemons has since returned to Clearwater High School and has made a lot of positive moves academically. His progress was significant enough for the Gators to send him a LOI and bring him back into the class.

On the Mark: See Robinson above.

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