“Don’t let that new guy tell you he ain’t got no good players.”

Will Muschamp’s charge to the local media at Monday’s press conference may have gotten a few laughs, but the outgoing Florida Gators head coach is correct in his statement.

The situation is much different from when Muschamp took over the team from Urban Meyer back in December 2010 when many believed the cupboard was left bare for the former Texas defensive coordinator.

Although the Gators have struggled to be consistent on the field, Muschamp’s recruiting prowess has shined in recent years, garnering four consecutive top-10 recruiting classes. He’s built this team

His recruiting success shows Muschamp and his coaching staff simply didn’t get the job done on the field, even with some great talent surrounding them.

So theoretically, the next head coach and his coaching staff could have a great beginning foundation for success in just their first year.

Offensively, the Gators have several returning players at key positions. Treon Harris is just a true freshman at quarterback and backup Will Grier — one of the top quarterbacks in the 2014 recruiting class — is redshirtting this season.

At running back and wide receiver, players like Kelvin Taylor, Brandon Powell and Demarcus Robinson all definitely return and junior running back Matt Jones could possibly come back if he doesn’t declare for the NFL Draft.

On the defensive side, Florida has one of the best young secondaries in the SEC, anchored by All-American defensive back Vernon Hargreaves. Freshmen Jalen Tabor, Quincy Wilson and Duke Dawson have all made huge strides this season leading many to believe that the secondary should be in good hands for the next few seasons.

BUCK Dante Fowler won’t be back, but the jury is still out on several juniors including linebacker Antonio Morrison and defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard. Even if the defensive line does sustain some losses, Florida is deep with former four and five star recruits like Gerald Willis and Thomas Holley to slide in.

In addition to the returning and incoming talent for the new coaching staff, the lack of an elite program in the SEC East should also help the progression of the Gators next season under new direction.

South Carolina is coming off a disappointing season and could easily be a worse team in 2015 considering the losses it’ll suffer after this year. And one of those losses could potentially be Steve Spurrier if he decides to retire after this season.

Tennessee is still finding its identity and while Josh Dobbs has electrified the Vols in recent weeks, he’s far from a proven commodity.

Vanderbilt is still struggling to compete in the SEC. Kentucky has better players and more talent, but the Wildcats have yet to prove they can make a huge stride in SEC play with their five-game conference losing streak.

Missouri seems to always be in the thick of things, but the Tigers have been far from impressive this year and will lose their two best defensive players — Shane Ray and Markus Golden — to the NFL Draft.

Georgia will likely be the favorite going into next season, but the Bulldogs still seem to underperform a few times each season and are vulnerable to a few losses like they were this season against South Carolina and Florida.

With no team taking control of the division, there’s no reason why the right coach and coaching staff couldn’t utilize the talent at Florida in 2015 and become an immediate contender for the SEC Championship Game.