Gators head coach Dan Mullen watches quarterback Feleipe Franks during Friday's practice. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Gators Notebook: Mullen Seeks Smart Plays by QBs, More Tidbits
Saturday, August 4, 2018 | Football
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – On the first day of preseason camp Friday, the Gators' three-way quarterback competition between redshirt sophomores Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask and freshman Emory Jones revved back up.
Franks, the incumbent starter, took the first snap with the 'ones' on Friday, but Mullen said Trask and Franks received equal reps with the first unit. He was uncertain whether Jones got any first- or second-team reps but said he wants to do so in future practices.
Mullen said he "saw some really good things" from all three players, and the play of the day came from Trask.
"They doubled an out-cut, and he checked it down for six yards," Mullen said. "That's the best play we saw. They're kind of, like, shocked. 'Didn't you see that bomb I threw into double coverage, and we scored a touchdown?' No. I said that's not the best play. That's starting to show a grasp, the little things of managing every aspect of the game. That's the mental side of things I really want them to pick up."
Since Mullen took over and started working to solve Florida's long-standing quarterback dilemma, he has stressed the mental aspect as much as the physical attributes of the three quarterbacks.
While Trask's short pass won't make any highlight reels, it was the kind of play Mullen has talked about repeatedly in evaluating the position.
"Not that I don't want to throw the ball down the field, not that I don't want to take shots,'' Mullen said Friday. "It's not, 'We don't want to do all of that.' It is strategically learning when we want to do that and what point against what looks do we want to do that."
He added that whoever makes the "unspectacular" plays most consistently will win the starting job.
Mullen addressed Jones and Trask specifically. He said Jones did well Friday, but, because he went through spring practice as an early enrollee, sometimes he looks like a freshman and other times he doesn't. He said he has to remind himself that Jones is a freshman and to not set his expectations too low or too high.
He praised Trask for his height, knowledge of what he's being asked to do and willingness to run.
"He's a very willing runner and he runs physical as a big guy," he said. "He's more than capable of doing everything we need him to do to be really successful at it."
CLOSED QUARTERS
The Gators opened three practices to fans in the spring, and fans packed the sideline of the Sanders Practice Fields in droves. However, Mullen said he has no plans to open fall practices.
Whereas the spring is about player evaluation and development and an opportunity for fans to see the new players, fall camp is about preparing for the season, he said.
"I always laugh sometimes in spring," he said. "The guy might run the wrong route, and the quarterback make the wrong read, and they throw it long, and they catch, and they score, and practice is open. Everyone cheers. 'OK, you guys really screwed that up.' They're like, 'Yeah, yeah, Coach. Did you hear everyone cheering for me? Don't tell me I screw that up. Didn't you hear the cheers, coach? I'm the man.' We've got to have that hunker down, bunker, get ready, prep-for-the-season mentality."
Mullen did not rule out the possibility of opening fall practices in future seasons.
SEEKING AN IDENTITY
Physicality in training camp has been a major topic in college football and the NFL over the past several years, with the NCAA and NFL passing rules that limit how much hitting coaches can allow in practice.
Mullen said his goal is to balance preparing physically for the season and protecting his players' long-term health.
"There's nobody that has player safety in mind more than me when it comes to the Florida football program," he said. "I mean, these young men and their parents have trusted me with their futures."
However, he also wants the identity of his program to be based around toughness and imposing their will on opponents.
It's a balance the coaching staff strives for each practice.
"I love being a physical football team," Mullen said. "I love people after games to know that they played Florida and just say, 'Well, that's a little different. Those kids are a little different when you have to play those games.' I love that mindset and that toughness and that aspect of the game."
Franks, the incumbent starter, took the first snap with the 'ones' on Friday, but Mullen said Trask and Franks received equal reps with the first unit. He was uncertain whether Jones got any first- or second-team reps but said he wants to do so in future practices.
Mullen said he "saw some really good things" from all three players, and the play of the day came from Trask.
"They doubled an out-cut, and he checked it down for six yards," Mullen said. "That's the best play we saw. They're kind of, like, shocked. 'Didn't you see that bomb I threw into double coverage, and we scored a touchdown?' No. I said that's not the best play. That's starting to show a grasp, the little things of managing every aspect of the game. That's the mental side of things I really want them to pick up."
Since Mullen took over and started working to solve Florida's long-standing quarterback dilemma, he has stressed the mental aspect as much as the physical attributes of the three quarterbacks.
While Trask's short pass won't make any highlight reels, it was the kind of play Mullen has talked about repeatedly in evaluating the position.
"Not that I don't want to throw the ball down the field, not that I don't want to take shots,'' Mullen said Friday. "It's not, 'We don't want to do all of that.' It is strategically learning when we want to do that and what point against what looks do we want to do that."
He added that whoever makes the "unspectacular" plays most consistently will win the starting job.
Mullen addressed Jones and Trask specifically. He said Jones did well Friday, but, because he went through spring practice as an early enrollee, sometimes he looks like a freshman and other times he doesn't. He said he has to remind himself that Jones is a freshman and to not set his expectations too low or too high.
He praised Trask for his height, knowledge of what he's being asked to do and willingness to run.
"He's a very willing runner and he runs physical as a big guy," he said. "He's more than capable of doing everything we need him to do to be really successful at it."
The Gators opened three practices to fans in the spring, and fans packed the sideline of the Sanders Practice Fields in droves. However, Mullen said he has no plans to open fall practices.
Whereas the spring is about player evaluation and development and an opportunity for fans to see the new players, fall camp is about preparing for the season, he said.
"I always laugh sometimes in spring," he said. "The guy might run the wrong route, and the quarterback make the wrong read, and they throw it long, and they catch, and they score, and practice is open. Everyone cheers. 'OK, you guys really screwed that up.' They're like, 'Yeah, yeah, Coach. Did you hear everyone cheering for me? Don't tell me I screw that up. Didn't you hear the cheers, coach? I'm the man.' We've got to have that hunker down, bunker, get ready, prep-for-the-season mentality."
Mullen did not rule out the possibility of opening fall practices in future seasons.
SEEKING AN IDENTITY
Physicality in training camp has been a major topic in college football and the NFL over the past several years, with the NCAA and NFL passing rules that limit how much hitting coaches can allow in practice.
Mullen said his goal is to balance preparing physically for the season and protecting his players' long-term health.
"There's nobody that has player safety in mind more than me when it comes to the Florida football program," he said. "I mean, these young men and their parents have trusted me with their futures."
However, he also wants the identity of his program to be based around toughness and imposing their will on opponents.
It's a balance the coaching staff strives for each practice.
"I love being a physical football team," Mullen said. "I love people after games to know that they played Florida and just say, 'Well, that's a little different. Those kids are a little different when you have to play those games.' I love that mindset and that toughness and that aspect of the game."
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