Linebacker Brenton Cox had the honor of sporting a jersey with the venerable No. 1 on the front and back.
The number hadn’t been used since 2015 before C.J. Henderson and Kadarius Toney wore it last season. Traditionally, it’s been worn by players respected for their leadership and talent.
While Cox has only been in Gainesville for a year since his transfer from Georgia, Florida coach Dan Mullen had nothing but good things to say about him on Thursday.
“I do have really high expectations for him,” Mullen said. “I think he’s worked hard, he’s done a great job for us, he’s done a great job in the classroom.”
Mullen didn’t mince words about the NCAA’s waiver process, which prevented Cox from playing for the Gators last season.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t get his eligibility, didn’t get the waiver from the NCAA, which that’s something I’d like like to see some transparency on how all those things go through,” he said.
But Cox reflects what Mullen wants out of his players—versatility.
“We play guys at a lot of different positions, you gotta cross-train a lot of different guys,” Mullen said. “Especially a season like this, you don’t know how things are going to shape up, so you better have the depth and versatility.”
Mullen wouldn’t pinpoint where Florida plans to put Cox on the field. The 6-foot-4, 247 lb. sophomore was recruited as a defensive end but played outside linebacker for Georgia.
Sophomore linebacker Mohamoud Diabate was another player whose versatility was praised by Mullen. Diabate had a strong second half last season, getting named SEC Freshman of the Week after finishing with three sacks and four tackles against Vanderbilt.
“He’s a really athletic guy, and he’s a great pass rusher,” Mullen said. “He’s a guy that we’re gonna have different spots on the field to try to create mismatches against the offense.”
Mullen also mentioned how tight end Kyle Pitts’ abilities as a pass-catcher opens up the offense and creates mismatches. Pitts hauled in 54 catches for 649 yards and five touchdowns last season and was named to the 2020 Walter Camp Preseason All-American Team.
“He’s such a great athlete, he can take advantage of that in the passing game,” Mullen said. “That’s what I’ve always seen the tight end position to be to be, is somebody that you can get in there to create mismatches on the field.”
Mullen said that his goal is to use these varying toolsets to put together a team that both fits his system and gets the most out of every player.
“You want to find what fits your system and what are ways that we can bring things in that are going to make us better, but you also want to have a lot of flexibility within your system,” he said. “So we want to make sure we have enough flexibility within our system and coaches and what we’re doing to fit our personnel and put our guys in the best position to be successful.”
Follow Brendan on Twitter @Bfarrell727 and contact him at bfarrell@alligator.org.
