The Gators opened their offseason conditioning drills on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Matt Stamey/UAA Communications)
Gators Hit (Offseason) Ground Running
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter
The Florida football team opened its first offseason conditioning program under head coach Dan Mullen on Tuesday morning with a cold and dark run around campus.
Meanwhile, the Gators were already sweating early Tuesday morning on their first day of offseason workouts under the guidance of Nick Savage, Florida's new director of football strength and conditioning.
Savage bounced out of bed around 3:50 a.m. on what will stand as one of the coldest mornings of the year once 2018 is closed.
At 4:06 Savage fired off his first tweet of the year.
It's go time Gators!! ??????#Attack #Win
— Nick Savage (@CoachSavage) January 16, 2018
He was ready to get started.
"We went into this day not knowing the guys and their background in terms of training,'' Savage said. "There's three choices every individual can make: either you quit, you survive, or you go attack the workout."
Savage's tweet revealed the choice he wanted the Gators make in their first workout since Dan Mullen was introduced as UF's head coach in late November.
Players started to stream into the locker room soon after 5 for the 6 a.m. run. Savage and his staff greeted them with loud music, raw energy and instructions.
"The workout was not easy,'' junior receiver Josh Hammond said. "A lot of guys kind of had to dig deep and figure out if this is really what they want to do, because it's not going to be easy. Guys on the team were ready for it."
Mullen was there, too, to get in a morning run and check out his new team.
"Coach Mullen had workout gear on like us,'' junior defensive back Chauncey Gardner said.
The team split into groups for a 2.2-mile run around campus that included stops at four stations for specific training drills.
In the predawn darkness, sophomore defensive back Brian Edwards had no trouble hearing Savage and other members of the training staff offer encouragement during drills.
Mullen's presence provided an unexpected dose of extra motivation.
"Mullen is right there running with us,'' Edwards said. "It's not like he was waiting here for us to get back. Nah, each step of the way he was running with us and making sure we were staying as a team."
An avid runner, Mullen has participated in the Boston Marathon, so morning runs are nothing new to him. Still, as first impressions go, Mullen made a strong one by weathering the cold and showing the players he is ready to work as hard as he wants them to.
"You've got no excuse when your head coach is out there running with you,'' Hammond said. "It gets guys going and makes it a little more interesting and fun."
Tuesday was a day Mullen talked about at his introductory press conference. Following a 4-7 season, the Gators did not play in a bowl game for the second time in five years. They missed out on 15 practices for the bowl game, creating questions about how in shape they would be on Tuesday.
In Mullen's four seasons as Florida's offensive coordinator, the Gators won two national championships. He spoke as soon as he returned to campus about rebuilding a winning culture. He stressed to the players in his first team meeting how that starts in the offseason. He warned them that when they returned from the holiday break to be ready for an intense introduction to his program.
Savage followed Mullen from Mississippi State to lead the way.
"This workout for us was very simply to kind of shock the system,'' Savage said Tuesday. "To let them know the culture here is going to change. The atmosphere here is going to change. Our goal is to create a winning culture, not only a winning team. Our culture will go a lot further than anything else."
#Gators back to work this week as offseason conditioning drills start ... pic.twitter.com/3wL3bZ2YBW
— Scott Carter (@GatorsScott) January 16, 2018
The way Tuesday's inaugural workout was organized featured eight teams with captains. To finish the run, each team had to carry a large rope for the final stretch.
Teamwork and leadership were mandatory.
"The rope is basically, no matter how hard things get, no matter what you face, you never let go of the rope,'' Savage said. "That rope is also to symbolize we never leave anybody behind. We're as good as our weakest link. That's how it's going to be."
To no one's surprise, the skill players navigated the run easier than the offensive and defensive linemen. That is typical at the start of offseason workouts.
Overall, Savage said he was pleased with the way the players responded. They came ready to work and equipped with a good attitude. The intensity will increase over time and the players start in the weight room Wednesday.
"They are going to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable,'' Savage said. "I think everyone is hungry. I hope that continues. If they are hungry to get better, that's what's going to happen."
The increased urgency level resonated with Hammond.
"The coaches came here to win,'' Hammond said. "I think that they are implementing that early and making it known that they want to win a lot of ballgames here. And the way to win them is in the offseason. They are making us very aware that everything that we get this season is going to be earned this offseason."
One down, many more to go.
Gardner kept busy over the break by working out on his own to be prepared for Tuesday morning. Now that it's over, he is ready to pick up the pace. After all, they are just getting started.
"We want to win,'' Gardner said. "We know that's a small step for us to become something more."
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