Wiltfong's updates today illustrate, IMO, how important it is we close strong on the field these last two weeks. According to his updates and reading tea leaves elsewhere, we are for sure right up at the top if not outright leading for the following:
OL Micah Smith
SDE/Edge Jordan Carter
IDL Jaylen Thomas
IDL JJ Finch (Bama commit who OV'd here and came for OU game - then visiting Bama the week after but notably has not shut it down)
RB Amari Latimer
There's also Carter Gooden who may be OV'ing next weekend along with Thomas.
Smith, Carter, Finch and Latimer are prospects are all being pursued by or were/are previously committed some combo of OSU, A&M, and Alabama. G covets Thomas, who IMO is an instant IDL rotational player at worst and also means we have to pursue one fewer portal IDL. Similarly, Latimer would mean you don't need a portal RB, either.
Landing that group would also put us at the #5 overall class (same in last year's cycle), which would easily be Heupel's best and illustrate a continued upward trajectory in terms of his and his staff's recruiting.
Not saying we have to finish 9-3 to land these guys, or that doing so will guarantee we do land them. But it clearly would help - who knows if you can get 1 or more of them back for the Vandy game if we're 8-3 fresh off a win in the Swamp.
All that to say, in terms of momentum, IMO winning out is huge. Starts this Saturday in a matchup that easily has the biggest positive gap between team quality - not to mention motivation - of any UT-UF game in the Swamp since even before we last won there in 2003.
