In this ACCSports.com series, we’re looking at every state within the ACC’s footprint and figuring out which programs own them in recruiting.
We start with Florida, which is widely considered the deepest talent mine in the nation. Nearly every school in the country has tried to tap into Florida at one point or another. Loaded with five- and four-star recruits, it is prime real estate, which explains why every single ACC team took at least one Florida recruit in the 2014 class.
To see which schools own Florida in recruiting, we scanned the last five recruiting classes (2010-2014). We looked at the top 40 prospects in each class (as ranked by Rivals) and where they decided to play their college ball. Here is what we found out.
Schools Who Signed The Most Top-40 Florida Recruits From 2010-2014
Florida – 44
Florida State – 37
Miami – 20
Auburn – 9
Georgia – 8
Clemson – 8
Alabama – 7
Notre Dame – 5
South Florida – 5
LSU – 5
USC – 5
Louisville – 5
Tennessee – 5
Who Owns It: Florida
Dominant ACC Team: Florida State
Percentage Of Top 40 That Went ACC: 34%
Percentage Of Top 40 That Went SEC: 42.5%
Percentage Of Top 40 That Stayed In-State: 54%
Biggest Out-Of-State Predator: Auburn
Biggest Haul Of Top 40 Recruits In One Class: 11 – Florida in 2010 and 2013; Florida State in 2011