GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Whatever health problems Florida coach Urban Meyer may have, his program is in pretty good shape.
Meyer signed the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the country Wednesday, stockpiling the kind of talent that could keep the Gators in the national title hunt for several years.
Does it mean anything to be on top?
``It shouldn't, but it does,'' Meyer said. ``I guess that's the competitive nature of it, but it has no bearing on where you finish. ... The ego part of it, where ... 'Hey, you guys just had the No. 1 class in America.' That's good for about 24 hours and then you've got to get to work and worry about something else.''
The class is already being touted as the best in school history. It includes three of the top seven prospects, according to Rivals.com, and 11 of ESPNU's top 50 high school seniors.
Twenty-eight players signed national letters of intent with Florida, including 11 who enrolled last month. Securing the class was Meyer's last bit of work before beginning his leave of absence. He plans to take vacation, but also has a series of heart and stress tests lined up later this month.
He expects to return for spring practice, which begins March 17, and coach this fall.
``I feel good,'' Meyer said. ``Just taking care of yourself, that's the key. I'm trying to do the best I can.''
He did just fine recruiting.
At the top of Florida's class is defensive end Ronald Powell, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound Californian who's rated the No. 1 prospect in the country by Rivals.com.
Powell is the centerpiece of a group filled with standout defensive linemen. It includes tackles Dominique Easley, Leon Orr and Sharrif Floyd, and ends Neiron Ball and Lynden Trail.
``As far as the defensive front, I don't know if I've ever seen one like this,'' Meyer said.
The defensive secondary is nearly as loaded. Safeties Jonathan Dowling, Matt Elam and Jordan Haden are rated three of the best in the country, and talented cornerback Joshua Shaw should get a chance to earn a starting job opposite Janoris Jenkins.
Florida lost six starters on offense and six on defense, and Meyer said this class could help fill the void left by the early departure of underclassmen Aaron Hernandez, Maurkice Pouncey, Joe Haden, Major Wright and Carlos Dunlap.
``I don't know if there's ever rebuilding, but this would be a rebuilding year for us,'' he said. ``You got to replace those guys with real guys. You look at the record of those players I just talked about. It's a very productive group, so we put a big emphasis on going out and finding some difference makers.''
The Gators signed 15 players from the Sunshine State, including nine from the talent-rich South Florida area. Meyer and his staff also showed they can go beyond Florida to pull in top talent.
Shaw is from Palmdale, Calif., Floyd is from Philadelphia, Easley is from New York and quarterback Tyler Murphy is from Wethersfield, Conn.
``The key to recruiting, just like the key to a great sale, is having a tremendous product, and we obviously have a tremendous product,'' Meyer said. ``Academically and football program-wise, what's happened in the last five years here, it's a product where a lot of guys want to be part of.''
Those guys also has plenty of questions as Meyer battled rumors, speculation and uncertainty on the recruiting trail.
He tried to step away after the Gators beat Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day, but that lasted about a day and a half. He returned to work and made countless phone calls in hopes of keeping the class intact.
``Yes, there were fires to be put out,'' he said. ``The good thing is when you go top to bottom in our class, you're dealing with intelligent guys and good families. ... When you're dealing with very intelligent families and people that really understand, they hear some crazy rumor - and I heard some - you simply pick up the phone and say, 'Listen.' ... You can end the rumors like that because you have a relationship with a kid.''
