For the second consecutive year, Florida needed a big day to begin the Early Signing Period, and once again, Dan Mullen and his staff closed strong.

Until Wednesday, Florida’s 2019 recruiting class had spent the bulk of the cycle ranked outside the top 20 nationally and, worse, in the bottom half of the SEC. For all the improvement the Gators showed on the field on their way to a 9-3 season and their first New Year’s Six bowl invite, Mullen and the Florida staff had struggled to parlay onfield success into recruiting victories.

Better late than never, that began to change Wednesday morning.

Just after 7 a.m., 4-star offensive tackle Michael Tarquin, who flipped from Miami to the Gators earlier this month, dusted off an antiquated fax machine and sent in his signed letter of intent, becoming Florida’s first 2019 signee.

The day got better for the Gators from there.

Cornerback Jaydon Hill and linebacker Tyron Hopper, two 4-stars relentlessly pursued by South Carolina in the final days before signing day, stuck with their Florida commitments and signed with the Gators before lunch.

Then, shortly after 11 a.m., Florida received a huge boost when all three coveted Lakeland 4-star recruits — offensive guard Deyavie Hammond, defensive end Lloyd Summerall and tight end Keon Zipperer — picked the Gators over an assortment of schools, including FSU, Miami, LSU and Alabama. The Lakeland trio were among the five highest-rated players in Florida’s class, according to the 24/7 composite player rankings, and Hammond and Summerall give Florida elite talent along the line of scrimmage, where the Gators were in dire need of depth.

More critically, the trio send a message that Mullen has re-established a longtime Lakeland-to-Gainesville talent pipeline.

The last time Florida cashed in on a coveted group of teammates from Lakeland was 2007, when the Pouncey twins, both future All-Americans, along with electric playmaker Chris Rainey all chose Florida. That trio helped Florida win 22 consecutive games and a national championship from 2007-09. Hammond, Summerall and Zipperer may not live up to that lofty standard, but they do re-establish Florida’s chops in a crucial area in-state and should set the table for Florida to land a huge Lakeland prize in 2020 in the form of their teammate, 5-star running back Demarkcus Bowman.

By day’s end, Florida had moved up five spots to 16th in the 24/7 composite, a ranking good enough to put them back in the top half of the SEC at sixth.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The day wasn’t without disappointments for the Gators.

For the fourth consecutive recruiting cycle, Florida failed to sign a single 5-star. The decision of 5-star IMG Academy running back Trey Sanders, whose brother plays at Florida, to sign with Alabama was especially painful for Gators fans. Florida also missed on two defensive linemen, 4-star end Derick Hunter out of Lehigh Acres, Fla., who flipped from FSU to Texas A&M, and 3-star Brandon Dorlus out of Deerfield Beach, Fla., who opted to play for Mario Cristobal at Oregon.

The Sanders miss hurt because while the perception of the program is certainly improved under Mullen, it still requires mending in the aftermath of the failed Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain eras. Landing a 5-star in a high-profile recruiting battle with Georgia and Alabama would have done wonders for the perception of where Florida’s program is right now.

The Dorlus and Hunter misses hurt because defensive line is a serious area of need for Florida, and at least through the Early Signing Period, the Gators have signed only two defensive linemen: Summerall and the space-eating 4-star tackle Jaelin Humphries.

Collectively, the lack of a 5-star talent and the failure to add quantity to the defensive line group renders this class incomplete, according to Florida recruiting insider Bill Sikes.

“To me, Florida’s early signing day grade is ‘Incomplete,’” Sikes, a frequent guest on the outstanding Florida football podcast Gators Breakdown and longtime recruiting analyst, told me via email.

“They did a great job adding three quality prospects from Lakeland, but their misses on the day have placed Coach Mullen’s back against the wall. The class as currently constituted features major holes on the defensive line and in the secondary, along with significantly less elite talent than many of Florida’s key competitors (Alabama, Georgia, LSU). To take adequate steps toward resolving these issues, (Mullen and the staff) will need to be monsters on the trail in January.”

Florida still has spots open and critical recruiting battles to win.

Coveted defensive back Kaiir Elam would be a huge get for Florida in a head-to-head with Kirby Smart and Georgia and will be a priority for a Gators team desperate for secondary depth. The Gators are also still in the thick of it for 4-star Mississippi State commit Nathan Pickering, as well as 4-star Fort Lauderdale defensive end Khris Bogle out of powerhouse Cardinal Gibbons. All three, along with Bellflower, Calif., defensive back Chris Steele, would add a needed jolt of high-level talent to this class.

Even after February, Mullen and the Florida staff need to stay full speed ahead on the trail given a 2020 recruiting map that provides the Gators with a genuine chance at the unusual “third-year bump class,” a phenomenon last truly seen under Dabo Swinney at Clemson.

Florida hasn’t had a top-10 class since 2014; they haven’t inked a top-five class since 2013. Mullen is among the best cultivators of talent in the sport, but Florida needs to load up on elite talent for him to cultivate if they hope to contend for championships again. While the close to Mullen’s second class is something to build on, the yeoman’s work for a gargantuan 2020 class must begin now.

Still, for one night, Gators fans can breathe a much-needed sigh of relief.

The Gators didn’t get everyone on their Early Signing Period wish list, but the addition of the Lakeland three took what would have been a disappointing class and turned it into an acceptable one, perhaps even one with encouraging momentum for the battles that remain.