Florida fans probably aren't going to be that excited about Ron Zook's hiring. He doesn't bring much name recognition to the job. So recruiting may be a struggle for him at first, especially going up against Florida State and Miami.

I look for the Gators' class to be average at best this year, in the wake of Spurrier's departure and then the failure to hire either Stoops or Shanahan.

With less than a month to go before signing day, Zook has to move quickly to hire a staff and then to re-establish contact with the top players in Florida. I look for the Gators to lose out on a lot of big-name prospects now, especially those outside the state.

Consequently, Zook should circle the wagons within Florida. A lot of the state's players were born to play for the Gators, and he needs to firm up those commitments. But great out-of-state prospects such as LB Ahmad Brooks and LB/DL Kai Parham of Virginia, who were looking at Florida, will now probably wind up elsewhere. Zook's best option is to stay focused on the in-state prospects and gear up toward signing a great class in 2003.

The Gators have prospects coming for campus visits this weekend, so it's important for Zook to have at least a few coaches in place to meet them, and then he should really try to have a full staff there for the following weekend's visits. He also has to hit the road for home visits starting this Sunday (when the dead period for those visits ends), just to make sure the players currently considering the Gators will continue to do so. The strength of Florida's 2002 class will be determined by how hard Zook works and how many homes he can visit between Sunday and Feb. 3.

Zook is known as a defensive coach, so the most important staff decision he'll make is to hire a high-powered offensive coordinator who has the same general philosophy as Steve Spurrier. That way, Zook can keep the state's offensive-minded players interested in coming to the school. Florida is the most productive state in America when it comes to high school football talent, particularly at wide receiver, running back and offensive line. Players at those positions are more inclined to go to a program that features a wide-open offense.

Zook was a good recruiter during his previous stint at Florida, and I'd think he'd be able to make headway with some of the state's top defensive players who had been looking elsewhere.

A lot of prospects have been sitting back and waiting to see what's going to happen with Florida's coaching situation. So the next three weeks of recruiting within the state should be very interesting to watch.

Tom Lemming is ESPN.com's football recruiting writer