GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The door is unlocked and the keys are in the ignition. What
Dan Mullen wants is for someone to take the wheel and drive Florida's offense back to life.
In reality – and only five practices into preseason camp – that's not much of a surprise in the Gators' ongoing quarterback battle. Mullen declined to name a clear favorite for the job at the end of spring practice and it appears not much has changed.
If Mullen has done nothing else in his time back at UF, he has oozed enthusiasm and energy. Whether speaking to fans, the media or students on the street, Mullen has rarely had a sluggish performance.
However, when the topic turned to quarterbacks following Monday morning's practice, the tone in his voice dipped. Mullen sounded like an investor eagerly awaiting a promising return.
"I'm seeing flashes here and there, but it's really about consistency of performance,'' he said. "I mean, to be a big-time quarterback, I don't think they even think they'd know how hard that is. They should understand it by hopefully next summer. I was hoping maybe with just one of them it would really click, but I didn't see that happen.
"But that doesn't shock me."
Feleipe Franks started eight games last season as a redshirt freshman. Redshirt sophomore
Kyle Trask and true freshman
Emory Jones have yet to take a snap in college. If they didn't fully grasp Mullen's expectations by the end of spring, they certainly should now.
While Mullen has talked extensively about the talent of the group, it's the intangibles he continues to seek. That's one reason why he made headlines last week when he said the best play at practice was when Trask checked down for a 6-yard completion.
That's not exactly the kind of play that makes the Swamp roar, but it's an example of what Mullen and quarterbacks coach
Brian Johnson need to see consistently from the player who is going to lead the offense.
"Our expectations of that room are extremely, extremely high,'' Johnson said following practice on Tuesday. "First and foremost, you have to understand that playing that position, you are held to a higher standard than everybody. Everyone is going to look to you and you're gonna set the standard for what is acceptable in the program. Our guys have to do a great job of continuing to develop. It takes time, but they've got to continually take steps in the right direction."
The battle has been dissected nearly every way possible since January when the team started offseason workouts with Franks healthy and Jones in the fold. While Franks is considered the favorite, Trask and Jones can't be ruled out until Mullen says so.
At the SEC Media Days last month, Mullen alluded to the possibility that all three could play in the opener.
The longer the job remains unfilled, the more speculation will grow.
Of all the qualities Mullen possesses as a coach, his success at developing quarterbacks is considered his strongest. He developed Alex Smith at Utah and later recruited Johnson.
When Mullen got to Florida in 2005 as offensive coordinator, he tutored Chris Leak and then Tim Tebow. At Mississippi State, Dak Prescott and Nick Fitzgerald were prized pupils.
Former Vanderbilt quarterback Jordan Rodgers has followed Mullen's career closely, first as a player at Vanderbilt and now as an analyst for the SEC Network. The younger brother of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Rodgers echoed Tuesday on "SEC Now" what many others have said about Mullen's history coaching the position.
"He is a quarterback guru. That name is thrown around all the time in this day and age for independent coaches that are throwing brooms and cones and blindfolding guys,'' Rodgers said. "Those aren't gurus. Gurus are guys like
Dan Mullen that not only know how to coach the X's and O's and how to play the position, but they know how to coach the psyche of a quarterback.
"
Dan Mullen is a guy who knows how to maximize his quarterback's confidence, his quarterback's leadership. That is the X factor. He's going to do that with whoever is going to line up for him at that position this year."
What made Mullen's deflating tone Monday raise so many eyebrows was its rarity. Mullen had the look and sound of a concerned coach. For what it's worth, he was also probably tired since the Gators took the practice field at 7:30 a.m.
Regardless, the moment provided a glance into Mullen's psyche. Talented or not, the quarterbacks have a long way to go in his mind.
"That just takes time because there are so many little intricacies of it,'' he said. "You can't coach everything at one time. Their attitude is all really good. They just have a lot of work to do.
 "It might not even be next summer, it might be the summer after that. A lot of guys it takes two or three years of really working."
That's not exactly the assessment Gators fans wanted to hear with the season opener less than four weeks ago.
But it's reality.
For those desperate for a crumb of hope in Florida's decade-long challenges at the position, camp is far from over and specific roles and rep counts will soon begin to be defined.
Johnson said the goal early in camp is to throw as much adversity at the quarterbacks as you can. Maybe Mullen's tone Monday was part of that plan.
"Dan is a great coach and he's a great motivator," Johnson said. "He understands exactly what it takes to be successful on this level. Obviously, I don't think there is a guy around in terms of quarterback play that probably has as good of a résumé as he does."
