Gators Embrace HBO Spotlight

Gators quarterback Kyle Trask does an interview with HBO's film crew for "24/7 College Football" following his first career start on Saturday against Tennessee. (Photo: Scott Carter/UAA Communications)

Gators Embrace HBO Spotlight

Thursday, September 26, 2019 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He was a seldom-used backup quarterback from Texas when the Gators took the field at Kentucky 11 days ago. In a few days on HBO, Kyle Trask will be a central character in the inaugural episode of "24/7 College Football."

An HBO production crew has been embedded with the Gators since last weekend's victory over Tennessee and will remain so through Saturday's home game against Towson. The network is gathering content for the debut of its all-access college football series and the Gators will be the first team featured in the series on Wednesday night at 10.

"I definitely realized it was going to be a different week on Sunday when we had practice,'' Trask said. "As soon as we got to the facility, there's people and cameras in your face as soon as you stepped foot on campus."

As you can imagine, life has sped up for Trask since he came off the bench to replace injured starter Feleipe Franks and led the Gators to a comeback win in their Southeastern Conference opener. He made his first career start against Tennessee and passed for 293 yards and two touchdowns in ninth-ranked Florida's 34-3 victory.

Not that Trask wants to call an audible. Like many of his teammates, he watches HBO's "Hard Knocks" and is a fan of the show.

"It's pretty exciting to be on something that's produced by them. I think it's going to turn out pretty cool,'' Trask said following Wednesday's practice. "It's pretty fast-moving. That's kind of how these things work. I'm just trying to do my best to keep a level head. There's a bunch of outside noise right now. It's real easy to get distracted, but I know when I play my best, I play with a level head. I'm doing my best to stay focused."

Gators defensive end Jonathan Greenard spent a half hour after Wednesday's practice for an extended interview with a film crew. He too watches "Hard Knocks," HBO's long-running series that takes viewers behind the scenes with an NFL team during training camp, and has since he was a young boy.

Greenard said the players have embraced the notion that this was going to be a week unlike any other during their careers. The cameras and HBO crew have been omnipresent at the team's facility.

71228 — HBO's "24/7 College Football" episode on the Gators next week should give viewers a good glimpse at what game day is like at "The Swamp." (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

"It's kind of different because they are getting every single thing you are doing. But it's fun. There's good energy around. The guys walking around, it makes you feel more like a professional,'' Greenard said. "Don't tell anybody, but they might have caught me dozing off a little bit in a meeting. I woke back up and once I did, I realized I've got to be on my P's and Q's at all time with these boys. They are going to be watching us and we've got to show the world what we do and how we go about things."

A producer with HBO Sports, Matt Chase has a wide array of experience. He has worked on the network's 24/7 boxing series and a show with Bill Simmons on the NBA Finals. Chase said the network has three camera operators following the Gators this week plus two producers, two production assistants, two audio techs and a media manager in town. Local students are also aiding as runners.

The coverage expands on Saturday during the game to capture the game-day atmosphere.

"As the week progresses, we sort of bulk up,'' said Chase, who is based in New York. "Once we get to game day, we add a few more cameras and a few more audio so we can really give viewers the full experience of that kind of ultimate moment. You spend so much time with this team, at that point in the episode, you want them to know what it's like to be in 'The Swamp.' "

The show will be finalized in the editing room once the production crew wraps up with the Gators. An element certain to be showcased is the team's transition from Franks, who underwent surgery on Monday to repair a dislocated ankle that will keep him sidelined the rest of the season, to Trask.

Chase emphasized the importance of highlighting the biggest story currently touching the Gators.

"We're a storytelling network and we're a storytelling franchise. We follow the story,'' Chase said. "Unfortunately for Feleipe, he was injured in the Kentucky game and we were able to spend some time with him on his surgery day. We've spent some time with him, we've spent some time with Kyle Trask and Emory Jones.

"I think fans should look forward to seeing how a program responds to losing a starting quarterback, which we know in football, is an incredibly important position. That's one of the many storylines of the Florida Gators that we have followed."

An all-access look into the rigorous gameday prep of some of College Football's leading programs.

24/7 College Football premieres October 2 at 10 PM on @HBO. pic.twitter.com/OtzhV4mQII
— HBO Documentaries (@HBODocs) September 26, 2019

Compared to other assignments, Chase said one facet that has resonated with him during this experience is the amount of preparation and people that go into getting a college football team prepared for a game.

The show will be written by Aaron Cohen, who has gained acclaim for his work with HBO's 24/7 boxing series, and narrated by actor Liev Schreiber, who also narrates "Hard Knocks." While Chase's crew is in Gainesville, another HBO team is set to arrive this week in State College, Pa., for the second installment of the series with Penn State. Meanwhile, after some down time, HBO's crew in Gainesville will go to Arizona for an episode on Arizona State.

Gators coach Dan Mullen quickly took an interest in the series coming to town when Florida was first approached. It's great exposure for the program and a unique opportunity.

"I think it's been pretty cool. It's learning,'' Mullen said this week. "It's different. It'll be fun to see how the shows play out. First one. So, you watch 'Hard Knocks,' and you kind of know what to expect. But, this will be unique to see us be the first team. Great honor to be the first team to get to do this and see what it's all about."

"It makes us feel like we're in the NFL,'' Greenard said. "It makes us work that much harder, that much crisper when it comes to attention to detail."

Chase had never been to UF prior to this assignment. Much like HBO viewers will next week, he has learned the importance the Gators and the University of Florida play in the community.

It's just another component that could make an appearance in the episode covering the Gators.

"It seems the football team is incredibly engrained in the community,'' Chase said. "It reaches a lot further than just the edge of the stadium. You see signs all around town. The passion for the Florida Gators really means a lot to Gainesville. That has been apparent to me almost from the get-go."

Stay tuned.