The UF coaching staff spent Saturday afternoon in South Florida at a pair of youth football camps. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Gators Coaching Staff Connects With a Younger-Than-Usual South Florida Audience
Sunday, May 12, 2019 | Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – They pulled into the Lauderhill Sports Complex on Saturday morning for a unique visit to South Florida. In the afternoon, they stopped at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar.
A trip to Miami Beach was not on the itinerary for Gators head coach Dan Mullen and his staff. This was a work excursion.
For the first time in school history the Gators fully operated and conducted their own coaching camp for kids ages 8-13 at a site off-campus. They called it the South Florida Youth Exposure Camp. (A year ago they assisted in former UF All-American Lawrence Wright's Leadership Development Camp for participants ages of 6-13 in South Florida).
A trip to Miami Beach was not on the itinerary for Gators head coach Dan Mullen and his staff. This was a work excursion.
For the first time in school history the Gators fully operated and conducted their own coaching camp for kids ages 8-13 at a site off-campus. They called it the South Florida Youth Exposure Camp. (A year ago they assisted in former UF All-American Lawrence Wright's Leadership Development Camp for participants ages of 6-13 in South Florida).
Enjoyed spending the day at our South Florida Youth Exposure camps. Thanks to everyone who came out! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/bIuqvyFORa
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) May 11, 2019
Mullen and his assistants were joined by several support staff members as the Gators instructed more than 350 kids at the two sites. No kids currently in high school were permitted to attend per NCAA rules.
Former UF defensive back Vernell Brown, now the football program's director of student-athletic development, considered the outing an important day for the program's branding efforts.
"The biggest thing is just gaining presence in South Florida and teaching the kids and creating awareness of the Gator Standard early,'' Brown said. "One of the things we wanted them to know and understand is that they were being coached at the camp by the same coaches who work with the guys you watch on TV on Saturdays. That was a big deal for the kids and also a big deal for the parents."
The participants paid a $10 entry fee that included a T-shirt and pizza lunch. Once they got on the field, they performed agility drills at the start of the camp, which ran two hours at each site. They then moved to offensive and defensive individual work where Mullen and his assistants led the kids through drills.
As the Gators continue to revamp the program under Mullen's direction, Saturday's road trip to South Florida is another example of the new approach toward branding.
The Gators already hold summer camps and events on campus, but going on the road to reach Saturday's age group is a fresh approach. Brown said to his knowledge the Gators are the first program in the state to conduct such a camp.
"We got exactly what we wanted,'' he said. "This is something we plan to do throughout the state. South Florida is important, but so is the state of Florida."
Former UF defensive back Vernell Brown, now the football program's director of student-athletic development, considered the outing an important day for the program's branding efforts.
"The biggest thing is just gaining presence in South Florida and teaching the kids and creating awareness of the Gator Standard early,'' Brown said. "One of the things we wanted them to know and understand is that they were being coached at the camp by the same coaches who work with the guys you watch on TV on Saturdays. That was a big deal for the kids and also a big deal for the parents."
The participants paid a $10 entry fee that included a T-shirt and pizza lunch. Once they got on the field, they performed agility drills at the start of the camp, which ran two hours at each site. They then moved to offensive and defensive individual work where Mullen and his assistants led the kids through drills.
As the Gators continue to revamp the program under Mullen's direction, Saturday's road trip to South Florida is another example of the new approach toward branding.
The Gators already hold summer camps and events on campus, but going on the road to reach Saturday's age group is a fresh approach. Brown said to his knowledge the Gators are the first program in the state to conduct such a camp.
"We got exactly what we wanted,'' he said. "This is something we plan to do throughout the state. South Florida is important, but so is the state of Florida."
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