Mullen in Miami, Transfer QBs, Volleyball's Big Weekend, More Gators Tidbits
Thursday, December 12, 2019 | General, Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Dan Mullen was at Florida the last time the Gators played a postseason game in Miami. He was back in South Florida on Wednesday for the Orange Bowl press conference.
In the 11 years between Florida's win over Oklahoma in the 2008 BCS Championship Game and its Dec. 30 matchup against Virginia in the Capital One Orange Bowl, Mullen has spent nine years as head coach at Mississippi State and the last two at Florida.
He recalled the hectic kickoff to that period in his life on Wednesday.
"It was a unique experience,'' Mullen said. "Honestly, probably the most exhausting experience of my life. Not that I didn't enjoy the game at that moment. I spent kind of the morning and afternoon and into the early evening being the offensive coordinator of Florida, then I spent the rest of the evening being the head coach at Mississippi State. I don't know that I got to quite enjoy all the events that go along with the game because of what was all on my plate, but I do remember it was an awesome experience."
Gators head coach Dan Mullen is joined by Bronco Mendenhall of Virginia at the Orange Bowl press conference. (Photo: Courtesy of Miami Herald/Matia J. Ocner)
At the end of his fourth season as Florida's offensive coordinator, Mullen agreed to become the next head coach at Mississippi State. However, prior to saying goodbye to the Gators, he stayed on to coach in their 24-14 victory over the Sooners, winning the program's second national title in three seasons.
As soon as the clock ran out at what was then known as Dolphin Stadium, Mullen joined the celebration and then headed off to his new job.
"It was a huge win for the Gators,'' he said. "I remember running down to the field afterwards, holding that crystal ball. Got back to my hotel room, got on a plane and took over the Mississippi State program."
Since a 40-17 win over Florida State to cap his second season as UF's head coach, Mullen and his assistants have been on the road recruiting. Mullen made the rounds in the Miami area on Wednesday prior to appearing at the press conference along with Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
An opportunity to showcase his program in Miami makes playing in the Orange Bowl a plus.
"This is our home,'' said Mullen, 20-5 since returning to UF. "For us, when you look at recruiting and you look at what you're trying to do and accomplish in building a championship-level football program, the fact you are playing in a New Year's Six bowl, that you're hear at the Orange Bowl playing on the biggest stage in college football, I think that's attractive to young men."
This marks only the Gators' fifth game in South Florida this century. The Gators beat Maryland in the Orange Bowl to cap the 2001 season, played at Miami in 2003 and 2013, and the previously mentioned game against Oklahoma.
TIME OF THE TRANSFER
In its brief existence, the NCAA transfer portal has become as much a part of college football as marching bands and fight songs. The portal is always open and never short of users.
As on the field, quarterbacks are the star attractions.
In this year's College Football Playoff, three of the four starting quarterbacks visited the portal on the way to their current destination: Ohio State's Justin Fields transferred from Georgia, Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts starred first at Alabama, and LSU's Joe Burrow was once a Buckeye. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is the outlier, and of course his ascension to stardom for the Tigers led to the departure of Kelly Bryant, who transferred and played his final season at Missouri.
Jalen Hurts is one of 3 transfer quarterbacks in the #CFBPlayoff, but he says his reasoning for transferring is unlike anyone else's. He didn't want to get into it, but he still had a lot to say... #Alabama#Oklahomapic.twitter.com/CPSKLEJuXm
Already this cycle, South Carolina's Jake Bentley has transferred to Utah and Auburn's Joey Gatewood to Kentucky. Gators redshirt junior Feleipe Franks, who has appeared in 27 games the past three seasons and was the Most Outstanding Offensive Player in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last season, recently announced his plans to explore the NFL Draft or transfer to another school. Two other Gators – tight end Lucas Krull and walk-on quarterback Nick Sproles – are transferring.
Mullen said the portal was made for players like Sproles, buried on the depth chart at Florida but talented enough to perhaps find playing time elsewhere. Meanwhile, as of Wednesday morning according to various lists online, more than 40 quarterbacks had put their names in the transfer portal.
Clearly, the coaching carousel isn't the only part of college football spinning this time of year. Mullen provided his view of the game's altering landscape at SEC Media Days prior to the season.
"It offers a great deal of challenges right now for everybody,'' he said. "It will probably be some rough waters still for the next couple of years for everybody. There's a lot of a learning curve that goes on and will continue to be a lot of learning curve for both players, coaches and administrations within the transfer portal until everybody adapts to it.
"There's going to be a new norm in college football. It's going to be very different than it's been."
Look no further than the CFB Playoff for evidence.
CRUNCH TIME
The UF volleyball team has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 26th time in program history, set to face Minnesota on Friday night in the Austin (Texas) Regional. Host Texas squares off against Louisville in the other regional semifinal. Thayer Hall
For the Gators (27-4), the 10th overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, it's an opportunity to avenge a 3-0 loss at No. 7-seed Minnesota (25-5) on Sept. 7. Florida is the only team in Austin to sweep both of its matches in the opening rounds, beating Alabama State and UCF at Exactech Arena last weekend. The Gophers needed five sets to defeat Creighton in the second round, Texas needed five sets to beat UC Santa Barbara and Louisville required five sets to get past Western Kentucky.
Meanwhile, Gators standout sophomore outside hitter Thayer Hall, who missed the first- and second-round matches due to an undisclosed injury, will travel with the team and remains listed day-to-day. The 6-foot-3 Hall leads the team with 398 kills and 3.75 kills per set.
This is the Gators' fourth trip to Gregory Gymnasium for the NCAA Tournament this decade, their last visit in 2015 – a controversial 3-2 loss to Texas – featured an egregious missed call by an official that went against the Gators and helped lead to the implementation of instant replay.
QUOTE OF NOTE
"This might be the most disproportionate home team-visiting team game ever. Based on the Gator responses I got all day here in the area recruiting, I'm not sure it's home yet." – Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall on being designated the home team in the Orange Bowl
EXTRA POINTS
Former Gators assistant Steve Addazio was named head coach at Colorado State on Wednesday, replacing Mike Bobo, who replaced ex-Gators head coach Jim McElwain. The 60-year-old Addazio left Florida following the 2010 season to become head coach at Temple and then took over Boston College in 2013, where he went 44-44 in seven seasons … In his fourth NFL season and first full season with the Los Angeles Rams, former UF standout Dante Fowler Jr. has a career-high nine sacks … Two former UF starting offensive linemen are among 32 nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award: Jonotthan Harrison of the Jets and Maurkice Pouncey of the Steelers.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
Remember former Gators assistant coach Jeff Choate? If not, don't worry, your memory is fine. Jeff Choate
Choate spent only a few months in Gainesville as Florida's outside linebackers coach/special-teams coordinator during the 2013 season. He left after the season to join Chris Peterson's inaugural staff at Washington. Following two seasons at Washington, Choate was named head coach at Montana State, where he has a 27-21 record.
The Bobcats are 10-3 this season and face Austin Peay on Friday night in the FCS quarterfinals. Good luck to Choate.
