Florida's Will Muschamp coached his first season with a roster low on scholarship players. (Photo by Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel)

It’s no secret that a lack of depth was a major issue for Florida this year, especially on the offensive and defensive line. By the end of the season, first-year coach Will Muschamp often opined having to practice like a pro team because of the Gators’ numbers.

They finished the season with 70 scholarship players, below the limit of 85 allowed by the NCAA. But, they can get back to the limit with this recruiting class. Here’s how.

70 scholarship players – UF finished the season with that many, but it will lose the following from the count:

- 4 former walk-ons – Muschamp granted scholarships to four walk-ons at the start of the season. But one of those went to seniors and even those with eligibility remaining are not guaranteed of having one next year.

- 9 seniors. UF graduated that many players in December, and one more player will graduate in May. So that leaves…

57 scholarship players on the team right now. So, the Gators can sign 28 players in this class. Of course, you might be wondering how that would be possible since the SEC just passed a rule limiting classes to 25 players.

The Gators have six early enrollees on campus, which can all count back toward last year’s total since Florida did not sign a full class of players in 2011. UF can sign 22 players on Wednesday, then, and still be under the limit. Right now, 15 players have verbally committed and are expected to sign and Florida is in the running for several other uncommitted prospects.

The number of current scholarship players could change before the signees make it to campus if there are any transfers, injuries, etc.

Tampa Berkeley Prep athlete Nelson Agholor is the state's top prospect in the Sentinel's Florida Top 100. He'll announce his decision between Florida and USC at Noon on ESPNU. (Photo by Chris Hays, Orlando Sentinel)

Florida remains in the running for several of the top uncommitted prospects in the country, many of whom will announce their decisions on ESPNU on Wednesday. Here’s a look at a little on those players, and when those announcements are coming.

(If you are regrettably stuck in an office or away from a TV on Wednesday, you can tune in to ESPN’s 10-hour coverage on espn3.com.)

Josh Harvey-Clemons, LB, Valdosta (Ga.) Lowndes
The latest: The top prospect in the state of Georgia has narrowed his choices down to Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Miami. Ranked as high as No. 17 nationally by ESPN, and no lower than 36th (by Scout.com), Harvey-Clemons will be a big get for whichever school signs him.
Tune in: 9 a.m. hour

Tracy Howard, CB, Miramar
The latest: Once considered a strong Florida lean, the top cornerback in the country might now be giving some extra thought to Miami after visiting in Coral Gables last weekend. Rivals.com ranks him the highest as the 13th best overall prospect in the country.
Tune in: 9 a.m. hour

Nelson Agholor, ATH, Tampa Berkeley Prep
The latest: Agholor is ranked at athlete and receiver, but it’s clear the talented Berkeley Prep standout will have an impact wherever he is. He will choose between Florida and USC on Wednesday.
Tune in: Noon. Also, be on the lookout for Schyler Miles. Agholor’s high school teammate will announce at the ceremony and has a Florida offer, although he’s drawn plenty of interest from Kansas since former UF offensive coordinator Charlie Weis was hired there.

Avery Young, OL, Palm Beach Gardens
The latest: Young has kept mostly mum on where he’s going to end up, so it’s anyone’s guess. A top 100 recruit by ESPN, Rivals and Scout.com – which ranks him the highest at 27th – Young will choose between Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Miami.
Tune in: 2:05 p.m.

Florida coach Will Muschamp has had a year to recruiting his first class. Where will it rank after several uncommitted prospects announce on Wednesday? (Photo by Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel)

Florida is putting the finishing touches on its 2012 class, the first for head coach Will Muschamp, and stands to gain some big-time recruits on National Signing Day on Wednesday.

As it stands now, UF has a consensus top-five class with 21 commits. Will it be a boom or bust on signing day? We’ll see, so be sure to follow along here and on Twitter (@osgators) as we keep up to day on who has committed.

Then, on Thursday we’ll wrap it all up with a chat at 2 p.m. I’ll take your questions and you’ll have a place to weigh in with your opinions.

Walter Pitchford

Florida freshman Walter Pitchford will miss 10-14 days of practice after spraining his wrist in a scooter accident. The Gators’ center came to the team’s practice facility on Monday with his right wrist and thumb in a sprint.

According to GatorZone.com, Pitchford was north of the intersection of University Avenue and 13th Street when he braked to prevent his scooter from hitting the vehicle in front of him. He rolled the scooter to the ground and hurt his wrist instead.

Pitchford has played 15 minutes total in eight games this season, scoring four points.

Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep DE Darius Hamilton will announce his commitment the night before National Signing Day, opting for an 8 p.m. announcement on MSG Varsity. One of the top defensive ends in the country, Hamilton has narrowed his choices to Florida, Miami and Rutgers.

Hamilton had been leaning toward Rutgers before coach Greg Schiano left last week to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end ranks as high as No. 11 nationally in the Rivals.com rankings, which have him as the No. 2 DE in the class. He’s one of several top prospects still considering Florida.

The show will stream live online at www.msgvarsity.com. It will appear on the site starting at 7:30 p.m.

Center Patric Young has contributed despite coming off the bench in the Gators' past four games. (Photo by Phil Sears, US Presswire)

Wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State helped Florida improve its RPI, and they moved the Gators up in the polls. UF climbed two spots in both polls, moving to No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today rankings.

UF plays two ranked teams in the next eight days, with No. 25 Vanderbilt coming to the O’Connell Center on Saturday and Florida traveling to Lexington to face No. 1 Kentucky on Feb. 7.

Bradley Beal

Florida guard Bradley Beal was again named the SEC Freshman of the Week for a league-best fourth time this season. Kentucky center Anthony Davis has received the honor three times and is the only player besides Beal to get it more than once.

Beal, who ranks fourth in the SEC with 33.5 minutes per game, helped Florida to wins at Ole Miss and vs. Mississippi State last week. He averaged 14 points, three rebounds and 2.5 assists in those two games.

In the win over the Rebels in Oxford, Beal had nine points, three assists and two rebounds. Less that 48 hours later, he had a team- and game-high 19 pounds against the Bulldogs.

Florida’s pair of wins over teams from Mississippi last week helped the Gators boost their RPI. The Gators (17-4, 5-1 SEC) were 37th on Jan. 23 before facing Ole Miss (then 31st) and Mississippi State (then 39th).

They took a 64-60 come-from-behind win at Ole Miss on Thursday and followed that with a over Mississippi State on Saturday. That moved Florida up to 17th in the RPI on Monday and made them 3-2 against RPI Top 50 this season, with losses to Syracuse (No. 1) and Ohio State (No. 6) and a win over Florida State (No. 20).

Florida can continue to help itself in the next few weeks with four games against teams in the RPI Top 100 – vs. Vanderbilt (26th) on Saturday, at Kentucky (5th) on Feb. 7, at Alabama (35th) on Feb. 14 and at Arkansas (49th) on Feb. 18.

Florida F Erik Murphy had 14 points and four rebounds vs. Mississippi State. (Photo by Phil Sears, US Presswire)

Late in the press conference following his team’s loss to Florida on Saturday, Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury went to great lengths to explain how good the Gators are. Patric Young gives them a presence, he said. Same with Will Yeguete.

But it was another player in the frontcourt who garnered the most praise – forward Erik Murphy. The junior has taken on a bigger role as a starter this year, and Saturday he was key in helping No. 14 Florida beat the 18th-ranked Bulldogs. Murphy scored 14 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting.

“To me the whole key to their team right now is Murphy,” said Stansbury. He’s the guy that’s changed their team in every way.

“Murphy’s not even the same, not even close to the player he was a year ago,” Stansbury continued. “Last year he’s on this roster, he was no factor. Y’all know that. Right now, he’s the one guy that changes their team, totally. He gives them some length defensively and offensively, so skilled. Stretches you out. All he does is make it easier for all those other perimeter guys driving that basketball.”

Murphy’s ability to hit 3-pointer has made him an asset for someone at his position. The 6-foot-10 entered the game making 47.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

“Murphy just opens up the floor for our guards because when he’s spotting up in the corner and he’s staying there, you have to account for him because of the way he shoots the ball,” Donovan said.

Continue reading MSU coach Rick Stansbury praises the play of Erik Murphy »

Chris Rainey might be the Florida player drafted the highest, according to ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. (Photo by Gary W. Green, Orlando Sentinel)

With a few former Gators preparing for the Senior Bowl, it seems much is going well as they get ready try out in front of NFL scouts. Reports out of Mobile, Ala. this week indicate that Chris Rainey, Jaye Howard and Janoris Jenkins might have helped their draft stock.

Howard excelled before getting hurt on Wednesday. Jenkins, who was dismissed from the team in April and spent last season at North Alabama, is using the game as a chance to clean up his image. And Rainey was singled out by Redskins coach Mike Shanahan for picking things up quickly.

It’s Rainey who ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said is the most interesting of Florida’s seniors in the draft.

“Florida, right now, is looking at guys that are figuring on day three of the draft,” he said. “Rainey’s an interesting guy cause he has speed and he’s got some versatility and certainly could fit what a team’s looking for in maybe the fourth-round area.”

Kiper projects Jenkins as a second-round pick, with the possibility of moving up to the first round if he does well in the Senior Bowl, the combine and other pre-draft workouts.

“Well, he’s gonna have to go through the interview process and he’s gonna have to answer some tough questions,” Kiper said. “The off-the-field concerns will be there. … He’s a talented kid. He would have been a first-round pick. He looked like a first-rounder at Florida, certainly played like a first-rounder at North Alabama. I don’t have him the first round right now. I want to see how he’s viewed after he gets past the combine and see if he can get some momentum going.”

The Senior Bowl is at 4 p.m. Saturday on the NFL Network.