Gators coach Dan Mullen
UF coach will put players through grueling camp
needs to get tough on discipline unlike his disgraced predecessor Urban Meyer, Mike Bianchi writes.
GAINESVILLE — UF coach Dan Mullen realizes everyone wants to know who the Gators’ starting quarterback will be, even his wife.
“You asked me if Megan is involved in the program. I get this question from her quite a bit, too,” Mullen joked. “‘Can we get this resolved? Can we get a starter we feel good about?’ ”
Mullen would like answers, too. He also is not going to rush his decision once the team begins preseason practices today.
“I would love that done,” Mullen said Thursday at UF’s Media Day. “That’s something for me that I want to feel comfortable with. I don’t have a timetable.
“I hope it’s a clear-cut decision that we know this person’s going to give us the best chance to win games and lead this program into the future.”
The QB race is between Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask, a pair of redshirt sophomores with plenty of physical tools but also a lot to learn.
Neither separated himself during spring practices, but Franks has much more experience after starting eight games in 2017 while Trask sat out following foot surgery.
Mullen praised the 6-foot-5, 227-pound Franks’ talent, saying the 20-year-old has “a tremendous skill set.”
Trask is the better pure passer, but he has never taken a snap in college.
Mullen knows he will need both to be ready, in case one is injured or the starter struggles.
“Whoever our back-up is is also one play away from being a start, so I feel really good about that position and that situation, as well,” Mullen said.
From Alex Smith to Tim Tebow to Dak Prescott, Mullen’s Midas touch with quarterbacks has been impressive.
He also has learned over the years to let a quarterback race play out before naming a starter.
“I’d love to say on this date we’re going to know,” Mullen said. “I’ve learned through the years not to do that because I’ve thought in the past I’m going to know the starter on this date. That day comes and I’m like, I thought this guy was going to be it and the last three days these guys have been terrible and this guy’s been great.
“I hope it defines itself for us during training and the team, everybody knows, this is the guy who’s going to help us win.”
NCAA clears receivers to play
Promising UF wide receivers Van Jefferson and Trevon Grimes are eligible to play for the Gators this season, the school announced Wednesday.
Based on an SEC ruling June 1, it would have been a surprise if Jefferson, an Ole Miss transfer, could not play immediately. The conference voted to allow players to transfer from a school facing NCAA sanctions to another institution within the conference without sitting out a season.
Grimes’ situation was trickier. The sophomore from Fort Lauderdale was seeking a hardship waiver after leaving Ohio State to be closer to his family.
The Gators surely hoped both were able to play. During the spring, no receiver was as sure-handed as Jefferson and none as explosive as the 6-foot-5, 214-pound Grimes.
The 6-foot-2, 181-pound Jefferson totaled 87 receptions for 967 yards and four touchdowns during his two seasons at Ole Miss and was named SEC first-team allfreshman in 2016.
Grimes had touchdown catches of 50 and 80 yards during a spring scrimmage open to the media.
“I’m excited for Trevon and Van. We appreciate the NCAA’s understanding in both situations, and are thankful to the UAA’s administration and compliance staff for their role in helping guide Trevon, Van, their families and our coaching staff through this over the past six-plus months,” Mullen said.
Mullen plans for a tough camp
Beginning with the opening of preseason camp today, Mullen and the Gators have a lot to accomplish during the next 25 practices.
Mullen’s end game likely will determine how his first UF squad fares during the season.
Much of last season, the Gators were pushed around on their way to a 4-7 finish. It began with a humbling season-opening to loss to Michigan that led former coach Jim McElwain to question whether his team was physically strong enough.
The gains made under new strength coach Nick Savage during the offseason were impossible to miss Thursday during UF’s Media Day. Every player in the room looked bigger, stronger and leaner.
Mullen expects the Gators to carry that same work ethic into preseason camp and emerge ready to stand up to any opponent.
“I want to make sure that we are the hardest playing team in the country,” Mullen said. “That we put in the work every single day, that we build mental toughness out there on the field so that when you come out of training camp, when you line up on a Saturday, you look across that field, and you’re going to be able to say that, hey, I can’t tell whether — they might be bigger, faster, stronger, they might be able to throw the ball further than we can or those things. But I’m going to tell you, they didn’t outwork us leading into this football season and have that confidence on the sidelines. And that’s something that we build during training camp, that mindset and that toughness that gets developed over the next 25 practices before we play a game.”
Now in his 10th season as a head coach, Mullen said he plans to set the tone for his players to follow.
“We’re not going to slow down,” he said. “We’re going to have our foot on the gas and run the training camp I expect us to run. I know where my level of training camp and my expectations are. I’m not going to lower that. I’m just going to make sure everybody gets up to my level.
“And the faster they do, the more successful we’ll be.”