There is open admission to Florida’s annual Orange and Blue Game on April 14. Fans will have a chance to see UF’s new-look football team showcase itself at the end of spring practices.
But first-year coach Dan Mullen has already given them a little taste of spring football after making last Friday’s and Saturday’s practices open to the public.
Mullen said Wednesday he liked seeing the excitement he saw from those in attendance.
“We’re going to open practice up again this Saturday to the fans. It might be the last one that we open to fans before the Spring game.”
One of the top storylines during spring camp is the battle at quarterback. Gone are Luke Del Rio and Malik Zaire, who helped filled in when Feleipe Franks struggled under center last season.
Franks has NFL-caliber arm strength, as evidenced by his 63-yard game-winning touchdown vs. Tennessee. He was also prone to making questionable decisions with the ball in his hands. Sacks, turnovers and other mental mistakes offset his physical abilities last fall.
While Franks did manage a team-high eight starts in 2017, the 2018 quarterback competition has barely begun.
Mullen said he’s pleased with how the team’s quarterbacks have progressed early in spring practices.
“It's going to take a lot of reps before they get comfortable,” Mullen said, “but I haven't seen the confused looks out of any of them yet.”
The Gators’ coaching staff is using the spring to break down the new system piece-by-piece, focusing on habits and the fundamentals early on. The offense is shifting from previous coach Jim McElwain’s pro style to Mullen’s spread attack.
“Everything we're doing is kind of a teaching progression,” Mullen said.
That progression isn’t just for the playbook. Tom Savage, the team’s new strength coach, is revamping Florida’s conditioning program.
“Talking to the guys on the team, it's very different from what they've done in the past,” Mullen said. “I think the average guy's lost 3.5 percent body fat (since Savage took over).”
Savage followed Mullen to Florida from Mississippi State, where he was the Bulldogs’ strength and conditioning coach for the last two seasons.
Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and co-offensive coordinators Billy Gonzales and John Hevesy were also retained from Mullen’s Mississippi State coaching staff.
It has also been somewhat of a players reunion for Mullen as well. Mullen said he’s already had former Gators Percy Harvin, Ahmad Black and Chas Henry visit the team since returning to campus. Harvin, Black and Henry were all parts of the 2008 national championship squad in which Mullen was the offensive coordinator.
Eddy Pineiro and Steve Spurrier also showed up to practice this week.
“(I talk to) a lot of the different, older guys who were here when I was here,” Mullen said. “Hey, whenever you’re in town, make sure you stop by to come see us.”
Follow Andrew Huang on Twitter @AndrewJHuang and contact him at ahuang@alligator.org.
Coach Dan Mullen announced another practice open to the public this Saturday via Twitter.
