Under the leadership of Jim McElwain, the Florida Gators have a bit of positive momentum going. While the team was not dominant in 2016, the Gators racked up nine victories while putting a stellar defense on the field for the majority of the campaign and things appear to be looking up on the recruiting trail as well. In fact, Florida finished with the No. 11 recruiting class in the country for the 2017 year according to 247Sports and that illustrates a bright light for the future.
However, the Gators will be losing a big-time force on the recruiting trail, with assistant Casey Callahan heading to the NFL to join the Tennessee Titans.
Callahan is a program assistant in title but the reaction after this news broke from those plugged in to the Florida program was telling. While it may not prove to be pivotal immediately, the relationships built across regions and even nationally on the recruiting trail can be important for program building and it will be interesting to see what happens with Callahan leaving Gainesville.
McElwain and his staff are certainly equipped to continue picking up pledges from some of the top prospects in the nation but, somewhere along the line, Florida might feel the impact of this defection.
