The Florida quarterback’s room will look a little different at the first meeting this spring. With Kyle Trask and former defensive coach Brian Johnson pursuing NFL dreams, the Gators have some work to do to fill in the gaps.
Emory Jones or Anthony Richardson are probably not going to launch more than 4,000 yards in the next season like Kyle Trask did in 2020. They don’t have to do that.
The key to the attack this spring and in the future will be adapting to the new skill set of any of the defenders. And Dan Mullen can be as good as anyone at creating an offensive scheme designed specifically for players in his squad.
Florida’s lack of ability to run the ball last season continues to show, but Mullen refuted that point. He said the Gators were quite capable of running the ball well in 2020, but he chose not to.
They chose to build the attack around the pass, and he said he could easily return to a more balanced or race-centered attack.
“We have the flexibility to shoot 400 yards per game last year,” said Mullen. “We have the flexibility to go back and be 50-50 balanced. We can be a running ball control team and control the clock. We can be fast or slow, whatever fits the program or the team as a whole within the framework of our attack. ”
Mullen said the beauty of his manual is that it is huge, but only a small part of it should be used in any season. The Gators will take a new piece in 2021, and it has the potential to be even more fun to watch than the one built around Trask.
“Suddenly, the field has spread,” said Mullen. “I think we saw some glimpses of this in the bowling game, that the field is spread out and someone is missing the race track. This turns into a 20, 30, 40 yard move with those guys on the field. With Kyle, it may not have been. “
With Garrick McGee stepping out of his role as an analyst and taking over as a quarterback coach, Mullen is confident of a smooth transition with an experienced coach who is familiar with the program.
“The good thing about Garrick McGee is that you have a very senior coach,” said Mullen. “He was a head coach, he was a coordinator, a longtime quarterback coach at the highest levels, he coached great players.”
Still, Johnson’s loss is difficult for the program. He came with the original team, recruited as well as anyone else and helped develop Trask from a career backup for a Heisman Trophy finalist.
At Johnson, the Gators lost an exceptional offensive coordinator as well. But it is important to remember that no matter who fulfills that role, Mullen is always the one who runs the show within this crime.
Johnson has taken on a little more of the gambling responsibilities than others in the past, but Mullen’s attack worked before him, and he hopes it will work after him too.
“Obviously, you hate to lose him and the relationship he has in the room,” he said. “But we have a main group of guys. Many of our guys have been [with us]. Brian was not always the quarterback coach for us. He hadn’t been for many years. How we do things doesn’t really change. ”
While the approach remains the same, changes are arriving in the quarterback for the Gators. This can be a scary thing for the faithful in Florida, after years of despair over the job.
The Gators finally have a good thing. Only time will tell if this continues.