JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The last time a University of Florida head football coach stood in front of a group of people at EverBank Field and took questions, it was a muddled situation.
On a festive evening 121 days later, the scene could not have been more different.
This time,
Dan Mullen stood in front of a crowded room of Gators fans and spoke for more than an hour. Unlike that night four months ago, no one asked the head coach whether he wanted to be at Florida.
Mullen has answered that question many times in his three months on the job. He did again here Monday on the first of three consecutive nights of speaking engagements around the state.
"I loved being at Florida when I was here before and I'm thrilled to be back here at Florida,'' Mullen said. "I'm one of the most blessed people in the world to have the opportunity to do what I'm doing. It's a dream come true for me."
Mullen was at EverBank Field to speak to a group of Florida boosters and alumni about his new team and the upcoming spring game. He is scheduled to speak in Tampa on Tuesday and in Orlando on Wednesday.
As usual, Mullen arrived full of energy and enthusiasm. No coffee needed.
Since his introductory press conference in late November, Mullen has darted on a nonstop treadmill. He hired a coaching staff, signed more than a dozen players during the early signing period in December, signed another half-dozen players on National Signing Day earlier this month, and is now preparing for the start of his first spring camp as UF's head coach.
Oh, there was also the task of relocating the family from Starkville, Miss., which truth be told, his wife Megan called most of those plays. The treadmill continues to run as Mullen starts to focus on the coaching part of his job. Still, he has multiple hats on. First, Mullen is on a mission to fill Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the
annual spring game on April 14.
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He's serious. Mullen made a strong pitch to the orange-and-blue faithful who were in a much better mood Monday than when the Gators lost to Georgia by 35 points here in late October.
"We're selling tickets for the spring game for zero dollars and zero cents,'' he told the crowd of approximately 500. "Bring a neighbor who has never been there before. I'm going to be there going as hard as I can."
Mullen wants fellow citizens of Gator Nation to be as excited as he is about the program's future. He reminded them of those two national title rings he has from his first time in Gainesville and the goal is to add more.
However, he knows it must be a true team effort. He implored Mississippi State fans to turn out for the spring game in 2009 when he took over the Bulldogs. He beat the drum all summer heading into his first season.
Mullen recalled Monday how some fans were confused. They thought you came out when the team started to win. He told them it was the opposite. The team would start to win when fans came out and showed they cared.
The Bulldogs' attendance jumped more than 10,300 fans per game his first season in Starkville. The wins came to, as Mullen won 69 games in nine seasons, or 37 more games than the Bulldogs won over the eight seasons prior to his arrival.
"We've got to make some changes within the program as a whole,'' Mullen said. "My job is to give you a program that you're proud of, but I'm going to tell you to win a championship, it's going to take all of us to go do it."
Mullen has a lot to learn about the team he inherited and the new players the Gators signed since he took over. He said those answers will start to be revealed in spring camp. For now, he has seen enough from the way the team has bought into the new strength and conditioning program to sense its desire to win.
"Our guys have really responded to that and they are starting to see the improvements," he said. "They've never been through anything like this before."
At one point during Monday's question-and-answer session, a fan told Mullen how much he appreciated the change in tone around the program.
"The energy and the things you are doing are phenomenal,'' he said.
"There is nobody that has higher expectations for the Florida Gator football team this year and for the program over the next several years than I do,'' Mullen said. "No one wants to win more than I do."
The Mullen era is off to a riveting start. Honeymoons are like that. Mullen joked that he is the only undefeated head coach in Gators history at the moment.
But underneath the hoopla that accompanies a coaching change, Mullen's return to UF has quickly formed strong roots. Sure, he has jokes. He has soundbites. He has goodwill.
Most importantly, though, Mullen has history as a Gator and grasps the culture. He's the head coach, but no coach can win at the highest level without a strong team.
Mullen is determined to make sure everyone knows that.
"People are excited. The Gator Nation is excited, so we want to make sure there are certain opportunities for them to get out [to practice] and come see some of these new players and see how things are going to be a little different,'' he said. "I want to make sure we come out and we thank them for all the support they give us."
And in case you haven't heard, he hopes to see you at the spring game.
