Transfer Lucas Krull hauled in two catches for 33 yards in the season opener. (Photo: Ashley Williams/UAA Communications)
Gators TE Krull Impressive Early in Transition Back to Football
Thursday, September 13, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The scene is one Pat Evers has filed away to share when the moment calls for a good story. It was an unusual day in his coaching career.
In late May, as Evers prepared his Jefferson (Mo.) College baseball team for a trip to Grand Junction, Colo., for the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series, an unusual visitor stopped by to watch the Vikings practice.
Specifically, Gators tight ends coach Larry Scott.
Scott came to town for a glimpse at hard-throwing pitcher Lucas Krull.
"Lucas is probably everything you dream up from a baseball standpoint,'' said Evers, who after four seasons at Jefferson College was named head coach over the summer at Maryville University in St. Louis. "He's 6-7, 250 pounds and left-handed. Velocity-wise, he'd be up at 95, 96 [mph]. If you had to draw up a pitcher, what they're going to look like athletically, that's pretty much who it is."
Of course, Scott's appearance was to scout Krull as a potential transfer into Florida's football program under first-year head coach Dan Mullen. Scott wanted to see for himself whether Krull, who had not played football since the fall of 2015, was worth a roster spot.
SMU, Missouri, Maryland and Kansas State were among the schools that thought so despite Krull's extended layoff as he pursued a baseball career, first at the University of Arkansas and then at Jefferson. Krull said Scott was the only one to come by to watch him play baseball.
Scott watched closely as Krull ran wind sprints with the team and played catch, evaluating his body movement and athleticism. When it was time for Krull to pitch in a simulated game, Scott kneeled down behind the catcher to get a better look at why baseball scouts considered Krull an intriguing prospect.
"We made a baseball evaluation for football -- that and high school football film,'' Scott said. "We thought, why not, trust your gut on the evaluation and go with it."
An All-State honorable mention tight end at Mill Valley High in Shawnee, Kan., Krull's future appeared on the diamond when he signed to play at Arkansas. However, after redshirting as a freshman, Krull transferred to Jefferson, which doesn't even have a football team, to perhaps expedite his path into professional baseball.
One problem: Krull's control abandoned him. In 16 1/3 innings in the spring, Krull struck out 27 and walked 38. He won a pair of games but as his struggles continued, Krull began to consider a return to football.
"I just struggled throwing strikes,'' he said. "It was just so hard mentally when you can't figure it out and you work so hard at it."
Krull mentioned the thoughts in his head to Evers, and then dialed up his former high school football coach, who was startled to hear what Krull was thinking but vowed to help gauge interest from football coaches.
When Krull walked off the field after Mill Valley won a state championship in late 2015, he had it all figured out.
"At the time, I thought it was going to be the last football game I ever played,'' Krull said. "Now we're here and I couldn't be happier. This is what I want to do."
Once word got out Krull wanted to return to football, SMU was the first to offer an opportunity. Many figured that once Kansas State got involved – Krull's father Jon played for Wildcats coach Bill Snyder and his mom starred in basketball for the Wildcats – Krull would land in Manhattan.
Instead, he listened to what Scott had to say and studied up on Mullen's use of tight ends.
"I just knew it was a great opportunity for me,'' he said.
Krull arrived on campus in late June and in Florida's season-opening win over Charleston Southern, he hauled in two catches for 33 yards. Krull continues to learn the offense and figures to play a prominent role on special teams.
Krull's physical attributes are easy to spot for baseball and football coaches. Quarterbacks, too. When Feleipe Franks connected with Krull on back-to-back plays in the opener, he noticed Krull's abilities despite his inexperience on the SEC stage.
"Good route by Lucas. We had called that play a couple times and I think it was just a good executed route by Lucas," Franks said of Krull's 30-yard catch. "He got past the flat defender not too far to where the corner could fall off and get in the way, so it was a good route by him and good catch, and good receiving yards after the catch as well."
Krull didn't have a catch in the loss to Kentucky and is competing for playing time with a group that includes, C'yontai Lewis, R.J. Raymond, Kemore Gamble and Moral Stephens.
The adjustment has gone as well as could be expected in Krull's mind.
"It's been a transition for sure, but it's been a great transition,'' he said. "I'm getting better every day. When I played in high school, I never really put my hand down. I was always more of a receiver type. So, really getting my hand down and learning the fundamentals of blocking and staying low and keeping the low pad level, because I'm so tall — that's really been the biggest challenge for me."
Evers texted Krull after his Gators debut, still in awe.
While he has had several players sign professional contracts and pursue baseball careers, Krull is on the road less traveled.
"I knew he was a good football player in high school,'' Evers said. "I figured at that point [when he decided to stop baseball], 'Ok, he'll go to one of the Division II schools up here.' I just figured it would be something like that. I don't think I'll ever have that happen again, have a player get recruited on the football side.
"He obviously would have had the opportunity to sign and go play professional baseball if he had wanted. It just amazes me, being on this side, that for someone who hasn't done something in two years, how talented he must be physically to be able to not only go play college football, but to go play at the absolutely highest level. He's a little different."
Scott said he has evaluated players before as they played other sports, usually basketball. The key is to determine if their athleticism can translate into their projected position in football.
In Krull's case, it was an easy call once he made the trip to Missouri to watch the big left-hander in action.
"We're pleased we did that,'' he said.
In late May, as Evers prepared his Jefferson (Mo.) College baseball team for a trip to Grand Junction, Colo., for the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series, an unusual visitor stopped by to watch the Vikings practice.
Specifically, Gators tight ends coach Larry Scott.
Scott came to town for a glimpse at hard-throwing pitcher Lucas Krull.
"Lucas is probably everything you dream up from a baseball standpoint,'' said Evers, who after four seasons at Jefferson College was named head coach over the summer at Maryville University in St. Louis. "He's 6-7, 250 pounds and left-handed. Velocity-wise, he'd be up at 95, 96 [mph]. If you had to draw up a pitcher, what they're going to look like athletically, that's pretty much who it is."
Of course, Scott's appearance was to scout Krull as a potential transfer into Florida's football program under first-year head coach Dan Mullen. Scott wanted to see for himself whether Krull, who had not played football since the fall of 2015, was worth a roster spot.
SMU, Missouri, Maryland and Kansas State were among the schools that thought so despite Krull's extended layoff as he pursued a baseball career, first at the University of Arkansas and then at Jefferson. Krull said Scott was the only one to come by to watch him play baseball.
Scott watched closely as Krull ran wind sprints with the team and played catch, evaluating his body movement and athleticism. When it was time for Krull to pitch in a simulated game, Scott kneeled down behind the catcher to get a better look at why baseball scouts considered Krull an intriguing prospect.
"We made a baseball evaluation for football -- that and high school football film,'' Scott said. "We thought, why not, trust your gut on the evaluation and go with it."
Team Kansas Futures Stat LHP/OF Lucas Krull @Lucas_Krull_ was 3 for 5 and worked low 80's of the mound pic.twitter.com/xGVvYzMABw
— Rob Fleeup (@Flee18) August 7, 2014
An All-State honorable mention tight end at Mill Valley High in Shawnee, Kan., Krull's future appeared on the diamond when he signed to play at Arkansas. However, after redshirting as a freshman, Krull transferred to Jefferson, which doesn't even have a football team, to perhaps expedite his path into professional baseball.
One problem: Krull's control abandoned him. In 16 1/3 innings in the spring, Krull struck out 27 and walked 38. He won a pair of games but as his struggles continued, Krull began to consider a return to football.
"I just struggled throwing strikes,'' he said. "It was just so hard mentally when you can't figure it out and you work so hard at it."
Krull mentioned the thoughts in his head to Evers, and then dialed up his former high school football coach, who was startled to hear what Krull was thinking but vowed to help gauge interest from football coaches.
When Krull walked off the field after Mill Valley won a state championship in late 2015, he had it all figured out.
"At the time, I thought it was going to be the last football game I ever played,'' Krull said. "Now we're here and I couldn't be happier. This is what I want to do."
Once word got out Krull wanted to return to football, SMU was the first to offer an opportunity. Many figured that once Kansas State got involved – Krull's father Jon played for Wildcats coach Bill Snyder and his mom starred in basketball for the Wildcats – Krull would land in Manhattan.
Instead, he listened to what Scott had to say and studied up on Mullen's use of tight ends.
"I just knew it was a great opportunity for me,'' he said.
Krull arrived on campus in late June and in Florida's season-opening win over Charleston Southern, he hauled in two catches for 33 yards. Krull continues to learn the offense and figures to play a prominent role on special teams.
Krull's physical attributes are easy to spot for baseball and football coaches. Quarterbacks, too. When Feleipe Franks connected with Krull on back-to-back plays in the opener, he noticed Krull's abilities despite his inexperience on the SEC stage.
"Good route by Lucas. We had called that play a couple times and I think it was just a good executed route by Lucas," Franks said of Krull's 30-yard catch. "He got past the flat defender not too far to where the corner could fall off and get in the way, so it was a good route by him and good catch, and good receiving yards after the catch as well."
Krull didn't have a catch in the loss to Kentucky and is competing for playing time with a group that includes, C'yontai Lewis, R.J. Raymond, Kemore Gamble and Moral Stephens.
The adjustment has gone as well as could be expected in Krull's mind.
"It's been a transition for sure, but it's been a great transition,'' he said. "I'm getting better every day. When I played in high school, I never really put my hand down. I was always more of a receiver type. So, really getting my hand down and learning the fundamentals of blocking and staying low and keeping the low pad level, because I'm so tall — that's really been the biggest challenge for me."
Evers texted Krull after his Gators debut, still in awe.
While he has had several players sign professional contracts and pursue baseball careers, Krull is on the road less traveled.
"I knew he was a good football player in high school,'' Evers said. "I figured at that point [when he decided to stop baseball], 'Ok, he'll go to one of the Division II schools up here.' I just figured it would be something like that. I don't think I'll ever have that happen again, have a player get recruited on the football side.
"He obviously would have had the opportunity to sign and go play professional baseball if he had wanted. It just amazes me, being on this side, that for someone who hasn't done something in two years, how talented he must be physically to be able to not only go play college football, but to go play at the absolutely highest level. He's a little different."
Scott said he has evaluated players before as they played other sports, usually basketball. The key is to determine if their athleticism can translate into their projected position in football.
In Krull's case, it was an easy call once he made the trip to Missouri to watch the big left-hander in action.
"We're pleased we did that,'' he said.
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