Despite all the newness surrounding the Florida Gators in 2018 – new coach, all-new staff, new schemes on both sides of the ball and, of course, new hope – the two most important members of Jim McElwain’s first recruiting class will be expected to be foundations of sorts.
Senior offensive lineman Martez Ivey and senior defensive end/outside linebacker Cece Jefferson were five-star prospects and national top-10 overall recruits in McElwain’s first class, in 2015. As it turned out, they were the only five-star recruits signed by McElwain and his staff during his three-year tenure.
Both were thought to be headed to the 2018 NFL draft but bucked the trend – six of the top-10 players in the ’15 recruiting class are bypassing their senior seasons – and remained in school.