Assuming no attrition, Florida can sign 20 players in its 2016 class.

By February, there should be more room. But the Gators hold 20 commitments in the current recruiting cycle, so scholarship numbers already are getting tight.

It’s no accident that Florida already lists commitments from three wide receiver prospects, with others possibly to still to come. This year’s team features three senior receivers. With three more juniors behind them, it becomes imperative that new coach Jim McElwain’s staff begin restocking with quality playmakers on the edge.

For that reason, recruiting experts took added notice when coveted Dade City (Fla.) Pasco High School cornerback Jayvaughn Myers announced that he planned to play for the Gators starting next year.

Word that the Gators had landed the services of one of the Sunshine State’s best cornerback talents was news in itself. But equally as intriguing has been what Myers’ commitment might mean for receiver Nate Craig-Myers, his half-brother from nearby Tampa Catholic who is ranked as the No. 1 receiver in the country by 247Sports. The five-star recruit has already received scholarship offers from all the major programs, including Florida, Florida State, Auburn and Alabama.

Scenarios like these play out every year in recruiting, which at its essence is a simple numbers game. Coaches need to identify the areas in which they figure to lose the most personnel – whether it be to graduation or the NFL – and recruit accordingly.

The Gators are doing just that with 77 scholarship players, eight below the NCAA-mandated limit of 85, according to a report by 247 Sports. Florida lists 12 seniors on this year’s squad, meaning McElwain can sign 20 players, assuming, of course, there is no natural attrition.

That’s never the case as some players at schools like Florida always leave early for the professional ranks, while others decide the program isn’t a good fit for them and move on.

That figures to be even more the case this year. Former coach Will Muschamp, not McElwain, recruited most of the current players. Not all of them will fit into the specific vision McElwain has for the program, and a number likely will seek better opportunities elsewhere.

Others like junior cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III and possibly junior defensive end Jonathan Bullard could jump to the NFL a year early. Hargreaves, a first-team All-SEC pick last fall and a natural cover corner, figures to be a high draft pick and an instant millionaire should he depart early. The two might have company on the way out of Gainesville, especially if the Gators return to prominence.

There’s no way to predict how things are going to play out on the field this fall, so McElwain and his staff will look to sign a recruiting class of roughly 25 players just to be safe.

From the outside, it seems like McElwain has been liberal with scholarship offers. Florida now holds 20 commitments in the 2016 class, and just three of those players rate as four-star recruits according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Working from that 25 number, the Gators still are reserving a handful of spots for potential big-name signees.

Last season, McElwain corralled five-star offensive tackle Martez Ivey, five-star defensive end CeCe Jefferson and four-star running back Jordan Scarlett very late in the recruiting process. If Florida convinces that type of talent to sign with the team in February, surely it will find room within the scholarship limit to accommodate him. But the numbers are getting tighter, and it’s worth monitoring.

In addition to receivers, next year’s class figures to be stout in linemen on both sides of the ball. Quality depth along both lines has long been considered the key to success in the physical SEC.