If the University of Florida's on-field success at Dolphin Stadium on Thursday mirrors the Gators' recent recruiting efforts in Miami, then the BCS national championship won't be much of game. The Gators will get shut out.

The national championship might have the feel of a home game for Florida, but in terms of recruiting, the city of Miami has been anything but home sweet home for the Gators. Miami-Dade is the state's most populous county, and the collection of high school football talent rivals anywhere in the country, yet Florida doesn't have much to show for it.

The county has not delivered a prep football star to UF since 2005 when Coral Reef standout Dorian Munroe, now a redshirt junior, chose to play for Florida over state rivals Miami and Florida State. Munroe, a safety, is one of two scholarship players from Miami-Dade County on the Gators' roster. Redshirt senior defensive tackle Javier Estopiñan is from Miami Southwest.

BIGGER PICTURE

So what gives?

'Down here it's all about `The U' -- always all about 'The U,' '' Estopinan said of the Miami Hurricanes. ``Sometimes you've got to give yourself a broader horizon and look outside the circle, but a lot of 18-year-old kids inside the circle are not willing to do that.''

The Gators are hoping this week changes that. Florida is playing for a national title on the Miami Hurricanes' home field, and the Gators are taking advantage of the opportunity to pitch their football program to local recruits, who have attended Gators practices at FAU.

''We've had recruits at practice, and they see how much fun we're having and how hard we work,'' Munroe said. ``It has really brought some ideas into the heads of the kids to become Florida Gators.''

There are signs this week that Florida will have future success recruiting Miami-Dade. The Gators have made recruiting the county a priority, and the University of Miami's stranglehold on the hometown recruiting scene might be slipping.

At Miami Northwestern, a feeder school for UM in recent years, several talented juniors are considering the University of Florida, according to Corvin Lamb Sr., the father of junior running back Corvin Lamb Jr.

''I believe this class here at Northwestern will change the trend,'' the elder Lamb said. ``My son has some friends that all want to play football together. A lot of them are not leaning toward the University of Miami. They are leaning toward Florida.''

RENEWED EFFORTS

In an attempt to start anew in recruiting Miami-Dade County, University of Florida coach Urban Meyer named first-year assistant Vance Bedford, a cornerbacks coach, the Gators' main recruiter in the county during the offseason. Bedford said he initially encountered resistance from Miami-Dade coaches, who Bedford said have held long-standing grudges against UF.

''There is stuff that I've been told by coaches in Miami that dates back from 20 years ago,'' Bedford said. ``They won't say what it is, but for some reason we have not had a lot of success down here.''

The Gators have had success recruiting in Broward and Palm Beach counties. UF sophomore safety Major Wright, a starter, is a graduate of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, and freshman cornerback Janoris Jenkins, also a starter, is from Pahokee.

The Gators are doing well without consistent help from Miami-Dade, but Bedford realizes that players here have a lot to offer.

''There is a lot of talent in this city, and we need some of that mentality that they have up there at the University of Florida,'' Bedford said. ``I think next year there are going to be a lot of players in this area, but they all can't go to Miami.''

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