When the Florida Gators’ 2010 recruiting class was complete, it was arguably one of the best recruiting classes on paper.

It was a consensus No. 1 recruiting class that featured five five-stars, including four top-10 players and the No. 1 overall player in Ronald Powell.

Florida was riding high off of two national championships in three years and a Sugar Bowl victory in 2009. The 2010 recruiting class was the Gators’ version of reloading under head coach Urban Meyer who was supposed to be building a dynasty down in Gainesville. It turned out to be his last.

Looking back at the 2010 class, it was indeed a top recruiting class on paper, but it failed to live up to its billing on the field and was the beginning of the Gators’ decline over the last five years.

Defensive players Dominique Easley, Matt Elam and Sharrif Floyd all panned out and were eventual NFL draft picks — Elam and Floyd went in the first round — but it was a much different story for many of the other recruits in that class.

No. 1 overall prospect Ronald Powell suffered through multiple injuries while at Florida, including two torn ACL. He was never able to become the dominant player many expected him to be and he left for the NFL without really ever making an impact for the Gators.

In addition to Powell’s troubles, the Gators also lost 11 players via transferred, some of which were among the most talented in the group. Safety Jonathan Dowling left for Louisville after violating team rules and were later joined by other notable players like Joshua Shaw, Gerald Christian, Chris Dunkley, Tyler Murphy, Cody Riggs and others.

All in all, the 2010 recruiting class was more fluff than actual substance. Many of the highly-touted players that filled out the class failed to make any significant contributions or left the program. Most of the regular contributors were among the lower-rated prospects like Trey Burton, Michael Taylor or Neiron Ball.

Despite an 11-2 record in 2012, the 2010 recruiting class finished with a 29-22 record from 2010-14, a largely average record for what was supposed to be a recruiting class for the ages.