Florida will still have a stout class, but two No. 1 defenders dropped the Gators and have picked Texas. DE Jackson Jeffcoat (that just sounds like a Texas player) declared this morning his intention to attend Texas and stud LB Jordan Hicks followed a bit later.
While Florida was involved in the running for both, they were not favored to land either. As last as yesterday, Texas seemed the spot for Hicks. Burnt Orange Nation has more on my Hicks ultimately chose Texas over Florida.
Florida began to fall by the wayside when Charlie Strong left for Louisville, but the death blow probably came when Urban Meyer didn't visit. It's hard to say what exactly happened with Ohio State, but the weather, his mother's relationship with Jeff Madden, Jordan's relationship with Will Muschamp, and his overall lack of ties to the state of Ohio helped eventually eliminate the Buckeyes from contention when Hicks sat down to make his final decision.
The Gators still have a great class, but the big fish left out there are offensive linemen Seantrel Henderson (St. Paul, Minn.) and Chaz Green (Tampa Catholic). Henderson has been moving away from the Gators and Green is slowly moving towards UF.