Gators geared up for spring football

New Florida head football coach Dan Mullen says he will continue to stress his high expectations for the Gators on and off the field during spring football practices that begin today.

GAINESVILLE — Dan Mullen is building a house.

“It will be bigger,” he said this week.

It’s often seen as a mark of confidence a coach has in himself when he decides to buy a house when he gets a new job, let alone building a newer, larger one from the ground up.

“When I left before, it was me and Megan and my dog, and it was just a puppy then,” Mullen said. “Now we’ve got two kids, we’ll get used to some bigger spaces.”

Though the new University of Florida football head coach described the process of waiting for his family to move into a finished home, one could have easily applied his words to his team’s offense.

With the foundation of his physical house still being set, the new Mullen has also been instilling a firm foundation for his team this offseason, including the incoming freshmen who could be asked to help early in their careers.

“They knew coming in that I would have high standards, high expectations. They knew not just on the field, but off the field, in the classroom and everything,” he said.

The Gator standard, as Mullen often calls it, sets the bar of what is acceptable to the UF coaching staff. He discussed that standard during a speaking tour he took around the state. He said the Gator standard encompasses every aspect of an athlete’s life, from the practice field and weight room to the classroom.

“The Gator standard is, ‘Did we push ourselves to be the absolute best we can be and take ourselves to become the absolute best we could be?’ ” Mullen said.

That standard shows itself in a new leadership council Mullen formed. The council is composed of eight players — voted on by the team — who each draft a squad of their teammates.

“First-place teams go out for dinner at a restaurant in town,” Mullen said. “Lastplace teams, I think [Tuesday] morning, they went and did some community service at one of the local elementary schools early.”

Part of that standard also includes the expectation of players adapting to a new offense. Mullen brings a spread attack with read-option components back to Gainesville, a far cry from former offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier’s prostyle offense. Last season’s starting quarterback Feleipe Franks, who was voted to the leadership council, thinks he can mesh with whatever scheme Mullen dials up for today’s start of spring practice.

“It’s almost like you’re going to have to like it because it’s going to be your offense,” Franks joked. “But at the same time, it really breaks it down toward super simple. It’s easy for the quarterback to understand.”

The ease grasping concepts could help Franks hold onto his starting spot with freshman quarterback Emory Jones lurking behind him. Though Mullen has historically preferred mobile quarterbacks, Franks said he could fill that role if asked.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore said he has been adding muscle in the weight room while cutting down on body fat by about 2 percent. Mullen said Franks exemplifies the work ethic required to win.

“If we do that, then you’re going to have the opportunity to go win the championships that we expect as part of this program,” he said.