It’s understandable to worry about the the Florida Gators defense as they prepare for the 2020 season. It’s perfectly reasonable to worry about how they’re going to replace CJ Henderson and Jon Greenard and David Reese II. One can’t help but wonder if an offseason without spring practice and limited fall camp will mess with the chemistry of the units. Yet, while there has been a host of talent lost, the Gators defense may very well be in a better position this season than last to find success. Why? A reshuffling of players to put guys in their more natural position. There are a lot of things about the Gators depth chart that frankly, don’t matter. When Head Coach Dan Mullen and Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham say that, it’s not just coach speak. The depth chart they set is purely just names on a paper for a system that is going to rotate and shift players all season. "We do rotate a lot as a team, and I feel like its best man win,” Like I said, we have a lot of guys that can play. So, I feel like whoever gets it has that chance to make the best impact that week, so I feel like it's the best man that wins." That being said, there was one spot on the depth chart released for Saturday’s opener against Ole Miss that stood out. Zachary Carter—named a preseason 2nd All-SEC selection—is labeled as a defensive tackle at 290 lb. Carter has always been a defensive end in the past. A notable absence from the depth chart is tackle Kyree Campbell. When asked about on Wednesday’s SEC Teleconference, Dan Mullen responded to reporters, “you and your depth charts.” He also added that Campbell and safety Brad Stewart will both be available. Normally, Campbell not being on the two-deep depth chart would’t be a huge concern. There could be an injury or class issue. He’d be back in a week or two. Yet the fact that Carter has put on enough weight and is now listed as a tackle makes us wonder if that won’t in fact be his season long position. And if that’s the case, is Campbell playing at all this year? Behind Carter is Gervon Dexter, the freshman who has the potential to become a wrecking ball in the middle of the line as he grows. He’s already at 308 lbs. Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham said of Dexter, “Gervon was a guy that obviously we thought a lot of when we recruited him. “The best way to improve is to go play, and he's done a good job from the standpoint of - with the OTAs as far as just t-shirts and learning and stuff like that, he applied himself and got some background that way. And as we put on the pads his physicality showed up, his ability to utilize his skillset, hold the point, play with power. “That's shown up, and I think as we move through the season you always need guys upfront. If you go back and look last year, we really kind of got depleted at certain times last year with injuries and things like that happen. So, I think anytime you can play a lot of guys in the front, it's a good thing, and right now he's earned the right to play with his play and his practice and we'll just put him in there and let him roll." Jaelin Humphries isn’t on the two-deep depth chart after spending his first year in Gainesville recovering from injury. But Grantham says he’ll still be seen this season. “Jaelen is a guy that has done a good job of progressing himself, getting in the kind of shape that we feel like he should be in. He's a strong, powerful guy. Kind of a guy that can give you some quality stuff on say some two-down snaps, meaning first, second down, and do those kind of things. So, he understands that role, and quite frankly in the scrimmages, when he played, he improved from scrimmage one to scrimmage two.” At end is Brenton Cox, the Georgia Bulldogs transfer that has patiently bided his time to get on the field. Now he’s poised to take a year’s worth of frustration out on the next opponent. The former 5-star recruit received the No. 1 jersey—a high honor in Dan Mullen’s program—before ever even playing a down for the Gators. How did an unknown earn so much respect and anticipation simply from practice? Grantham says a lot of factors are taken into account, the primary of which is academics. And when it comes to Cox, the buy-in from the former rival made coaches take notice. “You really pull for guys like that when, when they put that much into it. And generally speaking, you know, the all in investment—and what I mean by all in is from an academic, from an athletic, from a social standpoint, those are the kind of things that allow you to get that kind of number, and he's done a really good job.” Added teammate Jeremiah Moon, “Brenton is great, I love coming to work with him every day. He's a great guy, and he comes with his hard hat to work every day.” Speaking of Moon, the redshirt senior will be lining up at BUCK this season, after learning behind Greenard last season. This is the reason Moon was brought to Florida and he knows this is finally his year to take control of the vaulted Gator position. “I'm looking to go out with a bang. I'm excited for the season to come up and to prove what I can do. I know it's been a long road with me with injuries and everything. But I know, everything is in control. And it'll be okay.” Greenard dominated at BUCK during the 2019 season, riding it to a third round draft pick by the Houston Texans. That position will have more rotation than others though. Khris Bogle is listed as an “or” with Moon. David Reese can also take snaps there after recovering from his ACL tear. "It's pretty competitive,” explained Moon. “We have a lot of guys coming up, getting better at that spot and I’ve seen so much improvement over this offseason. Everybody's taking it so seriously. And so we'll, we'll see when game time comes." At corner, Marco Wilson returns for his final season and should lock down that side of the field. As such, teams would be apt to throw towards sophomore Kaiir Elam…which might be a mistake. The kid who wrapped up the win for the Gators in the Orange Bowl against Virginia in December has the potential to become one of the best defensive backs in a recent Florida history that includes NFL 1st rounder and NFL Rookie of the Week, CJ Henderson. “My biggest goal every day is just to get better,” said Elam. “Keep elevating my game, to keep learning and continue to be coachable, and then everything else will probably play off on its own. Not worrying about the media, not worrying about what people say. It’s whatever my coaches ask me to do, I’m going to do it 110 percent and make plays. That’s my biggest goals. Whatever God has planned for me, that’s going to happen. Not to stress about anything, not to get down or anything, just keep being me and good things will have paid off.” If Marco Wilson is moved over to nickel at times (which he will be) then Elam could be joined outside by Chester Kimbrough, who started next to him during the Orange Bowl. Nickel will be one of the more interesting positions this season. Coaches moved Wilson over there mid-way through the 2019 season after Trey Dean needed to be sat. Wilson told GatorBait Magazine during the Orange Bowl week that he would rather play corner, a position that historically has a better NFL assurance. However, nickel is a better fit for the physicality that Wilson possesses. He’s handsy and rough, something that gets him way too many pass interference flags outside at corner. But when he’s closer to the ball at nickel, he can get away with more. CJ McWilliams is listed as starter at STAR (nickel), coming off a year’s long ACL tear recovery. Freshman Tre’vez Johnson is listed as his backup. But Wilson and linebacker Amari Burney should also see significant snaps at nickel—the hybrid defensive back/linebacker role—to the point that the rotation is split nearly evenly between the three. Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate is extremely versatile. He’s listed behind Burney at WILL linebacker on the two-deep depth chart but can also play STAR. If Burney is moved over to STAR for a play, then Diabate can move up to WILL. Essentially what all of this means is that between Marco Wilson, Amari Burney, Mohamoud Diabate, CJ McWilliams and Trey Dean in pinch, the Gators have more options than they even need at the STAR position. Explained Grantham, “At the end of the day, defense is about, 'how do I get my best 11 players on the field, relative to the situation that we have?' I think that's even more critical now, because you really don't know what next week can hold or the next couple days can hold. As you get through that, you got to have flexibility in your program.” Ventrell Miller will be taking over for the departed David Reese II at middle linebacker. The former shy underclassman has blossomed and boldly taken on the responsibility that comes with the quarterback of the defense, manning the middle of the field. But he’s just the first of many that position coach Christian Robinson considers an embarrassment of riches. “Ventrell Miller's been just great. I've talked to anybody and everybody that will listen that he's done everything we've asked him to do and had a great attitude. “If you talk to anybody on the staff, he's been vocal. He's on the leadership committee. Just the depth that we have because of those guys being here for a while and then you add in young guys like Josiah Pierre and [Tyron] Hopper and [Derek] Wingo coming in. I feel spoiled just because I have bodies, so it's next guy up mentality. It's allowed us to move guys around and really see guys play different guys. “It's a different mixture when you see somebody that's never been on the field together, how they talk, how they communicate. And I've really enjoyed the way that they've meshed together and really the leadership that's had to come through settings like this, being on Zoom. I've had, 'How do you do that?' from afar, it's we're having to talk and communicate and that creates confidence. I've got Derek Wingo talking to guys that have been here for four years.” Behind them is the safety group that lost only one of the four main contributors from a year ago…and the graduated Jeawon Taylor has been replaced with Trey Dean. Safety is Dean’s natural position. It’s where he played in high school and as he explained to GatorBait Magazine at the end of last season, after the failed STAR experiment, safety seems like a better fit for the talented cover DB anyways. “His tackling has improved, his physicality has improved, his technique has improved, so I’m pleased,” began safety coach Ron English. “He’ll help us this year both those spots. You know what really has improved about Trey Dean is managing his ego. He finally has learned and matured in the sense that he is really not arrogant like he was before. I think we all know when you’re arrogant you miss stuff and you don’t grow as quickly as you should if you were more humble. That’s one of the biggest thing he’s doing. He’s growing exponentially because he’s listening, which he didn’t always do that. And he’s matured and he’s humble. So I’m really proud of him and I’m really pleased.” The biggest question when it comes to safety is how would the rotation work. During the 2019 season, English let Taylor, Stewart, Shawn Davis and Donovan Stiner split up an even rotation snap count wise. It was something the players wanted and advocated for before the 2019 season began. Now with more veteran guys still in the role—Davis and Stiner are listed as the starters—English explained to reporters that the infamous 2019 safety rotation wouldn’t be as prevalent this fall. “It may be a little bit different simply because we're in a situation where we have some older guys who are ahead of some of the younger guys. So it may not be quite the same, but again we'll try to keep the players as fresh as we can. So, I'm looking forward to see how it plays out. I think we have to be conscious of how guys are playing a little bit more, as opposed to, you know, when guys are kind of playing evenly you can play them that way, but when they're not, you might have to react a little differently. “There were obviously some things that you guys didn’t know that happened that we haven’t put out there. I think whenever you look back and evaluate yourself you might see some things that you wish you did a little bit differently. You might see other things or you might want to do this a little more or that a little more. But I feel good about going into this season with these players because they’ve played a lot of football and they’re mature, they’re physically mature. You watch them practice, I mean, they’re pretty physical players right now and they’re smart and they’ve been around. I’m excited.” All in all, the Gators defense was able to retain much of their talent. Convincing Marco Wilson to return was crucial. But the biggest difference in the Florida Gators defense this season will be not even who is playing, but where they are playing as this defense is now set to make a run with everyone in the position for success.

Kyle Trask has this way of sneaking up on you. It’s not like he’s actually trying to be sneaky. He’s there in plain sight and has been for a long time, just that when you think you’ve got him figured out he does something that makes you ask where did that come from? Like last year in Lexington. There he was on the sidelines watching Feleipe Franks and the Gators struggle against Kentucky. With 3:21 remaining in the third quarter and the Gators trailing, 21-10, Franks not only failed to convert a fourth and one at the Kentucky 38, but he went down in a painful heap. X-rays at the UK Medical Center would reveal a fracture with a dislocated ankle. His season was over. As Franks was wheeled out of Kroger Field on a stretcher there was a knot the size of Lake Okeechobee in the collective stomach of the Gator Nation. Ever since he played like a pro when the Gators stomped Michigan in the Peach Bowl, Franks had become the poster child for Florida’s lofty expectations and now the fate of the season was in the hands of Trask, a career backup who hadn’t started a football game since he was a ninth grader in Manvel, Texas, or Emory Jones, a redshirt freshman with a world of potential but lacking experience. When the Gators got the ball back, ironically after Kentucky was stuffed on a fourth and one at the Florida 38, it was Trask that got the call. Social media was abuzz, resigned to a Florida loss – there was no way a career backup was going to lead the Gators back from an 11-point deficit on the road – and contemplating how many games before Dan Mullen turned the reins and the future over to Jones. Could the Gators even make it to a bowl game? Many doubted they could. Hope, they say, springs eternal but there wasn’t a lot of hope springing Kyle Trask’s way from even the most ardent Gator supporters but maybe they forgot where they were. This was Lexington. This was Kentucky. This was the same stadium where an unknown quarterback from Pahokee named Harold Peacock led the Gators to a win nobody ever expected in 1967. This was the same stadium that gave us “Doering’s got a touchdown! Doering’s got a touchdown!” back in 1993. In retrospect, what happened with Kyle Trask shouldn’t have surprised us. All he did was lead the Gators to 19 straight points, turning what seemed like a surefire defeat into a most unexpected, 29-21, victory. Okay, he got lucky. At least that was the consensus on social media which offered up the explanation that (a) Trask was in a no pressure situation since everyone expected the Gators to lose and (b) the Wildcats thought they had the game in the bag when they knocked Franks out of the game. The problem with the he got lucky theory is that it's good for one game, maybe two. From that comeback kid performance in Lexington Trask kept sneaking up on us. The next week as a first time starter against Tennessee, Trask validated the win over Kentucky. In each subsequent week he got better. What started out as Feleipe Franks' team morphed seamlessly into Kyle Trask's team. Each game was a new opportunity to show off skills nobody really knew existed. He made all the throws. He kept checking the Gators into the right play. He commanded the huddle. Teammates believed. Mullen never once acted surprised at anything Trask did as he took over the team and led them to an 11-2 season that culminated at the Orange Bowl. Could the Gators have gone 11-2 if Franks hadn't gone down? Maybe, but that's a hypothetical question for which an answer isn't required. Trask came in under adverse circumstances, made the most of his opportunity and despite the fact he didn’t have the rocket arm or mobility that Franks had, he still put up the best stats (2,947 passing yards, 8.3 per attempt, 25 touchdown passes) of any Florida quarterback since Tim Tebow’s senior season. Above all else, he showed that he could inspire teammates to play at a higher level. As Florida’s starting quarterback, Trask had to face the media each Monday. He was shy at first but he grew into the role. He answered questions politely. Once when asked if there is a not so quiet, not so polite Kyle Trask in the huddle, his face turned red but he answered yes. Teammates confirmed there was a side to Trask we don’t see in the huddle or at practice. In other words, that shy, polite exterior serves to mask a competitive fire that burns in his belly. The global pandemic changed the landscape of college football and yet it changed nothing at all when it comes to Kyle Trask or the expectation that this will be the year when the Florida Gators transform into the Beast of the SEC East. Prior to the pandemic this was expected to be Florida’s year, in no small part because Trask is the leading returning passer in the SEC. Now that the pandemic has eliminated spring practice, eliminated offseason workouts that bond quarterbacks and receivers among other things, and changed the schedule into a 10-game, conference games only free-for-all, the Gators are still the team to beat in the SEC East. So the more things have changed, the more nothing has changed. As we have seen in the early going prior to the SEC commencing play on September 26, the teams that have a comfort level with their offensive scheme and experienced quarterbacks have a tremendous advantage. Having a quarterback three years into the same offensive system was a factor in the high expectations for the Gators pre-pandemic. With the pandemic continuing to alter everything from the number of practices to the amount of practice time, having Trask back only makes Florida the smart choice to end Georgia’s three-year reign at the top of the SEC East. Whereas Georgia is breaking in a new offensive system with a quarterback who has never taken a snap in an SEC game, Florida has Trask, three years into the same system and performing in preseason practice at what Mullen calls a graduate level. Familiarity with the Mullen offense has plenty to do with why nearly every football magazine, the SEC coaches and the SEC media selected Trask as their preseason All-SEC quarterback. Even those who question if Trask has an NFL caliber arm have to admit the cerebral aspects of the game set him apart from every other quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. He’s plenty smart. Everybody knows that, but Trask also has the ability to zone out crowd noise as they found out at Tiger Stadium when the Gators had LSU on the ropes in the second half. When 100,000 insane and oh so loud Cajuns are screaming their lungs out and calling you every name – both thinkable and unthinkable – in the book, you better have a noise reduction capability or else your brain won’t function properly. Trask burned the Tigers for 310 yards and three touchdown passes. Additionally, and as important as any physical skill, Trask has the ability to instantly put a bad play behind him. Think back to those two fumbles when Derrick Brown and the Auburn defensive line collapsed the pocket. Instead of rattling Trask and taking him out of the game mentally, Trask just moved on to the next play and led the Gators to an impressive 24-13 win over the 7th-ranked Tigers. Trask isn’t the only reason why Florida has championship expectations for 2020, but he is a good place to start. In a season where the roster can change week-to-week because of the Covid-19 virus and games can be rescheduled if SEC-mandated roster minimums can’t be met, you have to have a quarterback who can go with the flow. That’s Kyle Trask. In an era where players transfer on a whim using every excuse imaginable to mask the real reason of lack of playing time, Trask has patiently waited his turn, absorbing as he goes. Mullen never has had to question Trask’s work ethic or his dedication to the film room. Nor has he had to question Trask’s loyalty. Trask could have transferred out on more than one occasion and there would have been multiple options for a landing spot but he chose to stick it out at Florida. Practice made him better. The film room made him better prepared. When his chance finally came, he stepped in and got the job done so well that Franks elected to transfer out. If ever there were a sign that this was Kyle Trask’s football team to lead, that was it. There is one more reason why Kyle Trask could be the quarterback who leads the Gators to their first Southeastern Conference championship since the national title team of 2008. There are championships in his blood. Kyle's grandfather, Orville Trask, was an outstanding two-way lineman for the Rice Owls, who beat the Florida Gators in Houston in both 1953 and 1954. Orville Trask helped lead Rice to a Southwest Conference championship and a 28-6 win over Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. In 1960, as a second-team All-AFL defensive tackle for the Houston Oilers, owner Bud Adams gave Orville Trask the game ball for his outstanding play after the Oilers beat the Los Angeles Chargers for the first American Football League championship. The Oilers also won the 1961 AFL title with Orville again playing a key role in the defensive line. Just because his grandfather played football at a championship level does not guarantee that Kyle Trask will lead the Gators to an SEC championship, but the fire that burned in the belly of Orville Trask burns in Kyle’s belly, too. Don’t think that just because he waited all those years to get a chance that Trask lacks the ability to lead Florida to a championship. Patience builds character, something Trask has in abundance. Practice hones skills and there is no question Trask has the skill it takes to lead the Gators on the biggest of stages. Adversity prepares you to deal with changing circumstances. The entire circumstance of college football has changed in the last several months. If that isn't adversity then nothing is. Given all that has changed can you think of a better quarterback than Kyle Trask to lead the Florida Gators in 2020? He wasn't the 5-star recruit and it took four years for Trask to become an overnight sensation but when given his opportunity he showed everyone that the wait had been worth it. Trask won’t be sneaking up on us this year as he did in 2019, but just as he met or exceeded expectations week in and week out last year, he’s ready to pick up where he left off. This time, however, he has a championship squarely in his sights.

At some programs, the special teams unit only seems important when it’s a three-point ball game. At Florida, that’s far from the truth. Dan Mullen makes the special teams unit feel, well, special. During team meals, the special teams unit is the first to make their plates. Gimmicky? Maybe. But Mullen sets the tone for current and future special teamers: You guys are important -- not just when the game is on the line, but whistle to whistle. And in 2020, a special season to say the least, Florida’s special team unit is slated to pick up right where it left off in the 2019-20 season. Kicker Place kicker Evan McPherson is bound to be the backbone of the unit, which is seeing a number of new faces take the field this fall. Coming into his junior season, McPherson has posted some familiar numbers. Getting the nod as a freshman, the Alabama transplant went 17-for-19 on field goals in 2018. He then went on to match those numbers stroke for stroke in 2019. Point being, 89.5% is worthy of a B+, and with the right professor, maybe even an A. Fortunately, Dan Mullen has no problem bumping his kicker in the upper tier. “I have unbelievable confidence in him,” Mullen said of McPherson during Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “I think he’s the top kicker in college football.” To date, the junior’s career long is 50 yards, meaning the line of scrimmage was the 33 yard line. However, Mullen revealed Wednesday that he had seen McPherson knock one in from 67 yards out in practice. In short, it’s obvious that Dan Mullen trusts his kicker. And it seems that anything inside the opponent’s territory might be fair game for the junior specialist. Punter During the offseason, freshman Aussie Jeremy Crawshaw and redshirt senior Jacob Finn went toe to toe to win out the punting and holding duties. In the offseason, Mullen was forced to replace firestorm specialist Tommy Townsend. And Townsend, who now punts for the reigning Super Bowl Champions, left big shoes to fill for Crawshaw and Finn. According to the week one depth chart, Townsend is set to be followed by Finn. Finn, a Jacksonville native, has appeared in just two contests since walking on in 2016. However, his mere two punts averaged 45.5 yards. This is compared to Townsend’s career average of 44.8. After all, Finn has done all of his learning behind both Tommy, and the older Townsend, Johnny. However, if push comes to shove, little downfall is expected from Crawshaw. Hailing from down under, Crawshaw has adapted quickly to American living -- Including growing a mullet. But on the football field, his years of playing “footy” are sure to pay off if and when his number is called. Returner In perhaps the most exciting change of personnel in the special teams unit, athlete Kadarius Toney is set to haul in a majority of the returns for the Gators. Sometimes called the “human joystick”, Toney is sure to be lethal from back deep. He follows in the footsteps of current Seattle Seahawk Freddie Swain, who returned a majority of the punts for the Gators in 2019, and current Denver Bronco Tyrie Cleveland, who he split kick returns with. Swain proved to be pretty reliable during his time hauling in punts. With 22 returns, Swain averaged 10.2 yards per return. He also ripped off an 85-yard return for a touchdown against Colorado State in 2018. But if we’ve learned anything about Kadarius Toney in his Florida career, it’s that he’s just as capable -- especially in the open field. In 2018, Toney returned six kick returns for 133 yards, averaging out to 22.2 yards per return. His 2019 season was hindered with injury, but his time in 2018 (and even his limited time in 2019) reiterated just how electric the Alabama native is. His 10 receptions in 2019 went for 194 yards and a touchdown. More impressively, however, is the fact that Toney isn’t a deep route runner. Instead, a majority of those receiving yards come from passes that were caught at, behind or near the line of scrimmage. Toney's success with screen passes only solidifies that he is capable of immense damage when in the open field or behind a wall of blockers. Though the Gators are set to unveil a new selection of specialists, to expect a digression in production is unreasonable. No matter how special the circumstances are in 2020, not much will change in the way of Dan Mullen’s special teams unit. Just as the name suggests, it’ll be special.

I’ll admit, I never thought CJ McWilliams would play another significant down for the Florida Gators football team. His 2018 campaign in relief of the injured Marco Wilson was spotted by inexcusable plays and coverage that quarterbacks always targeted. It culminated in a performance against the Georgia Bulldogs where Jake Fromm picked on McWilliams all day and won every single time. McWilliams was hurt in camp before the start of the 2019 season and spent the entire year on the sideline in a boot. As such, there’s not much we remember about CJ McWilliams other than that Georgia game and the inept coverage leading up to the 2x4 that broke the camels back. When his name did come up with fans, it was a visceral reaction to the 2018 painful memories and a thankfulness that he might not see the field again. And like I admitted, I didn’t think he ever would see the field again. So imagine the surprise when the Gators released the depth chart for Saturday’s 2020 season opener and McWilliams was not only on the two-deep, he was listed as a starter…at STAR (nickel) which is widely considered the position held for the most talented and versatile defender on the roster. Head Coach Dan Mullen described the STAR as, “we need somebody that, obviously the more you can do, very much like that utility guy on offense, the more you can do the better you are at that position, and I don't have to sub a lot of different guys, right? “So, you want somebody that is a great cover guy, that can be physical at the point of attack, that can rush off the edge. But those guys, you know, they're kind of unicorns, right? You got to go try to find them, and there's not a lot of them out there. You do see one, and it's a pretty special deal, you've got to be excited that you have one." Is that CJ McWilliams? I hope so. I hope he proves me wrong. I hope CJ McWilliams comes out on Saturday and shuts everyone up, myself included. That’s one of the greatest things about sports. They are a shot for redemption, a second chance, an opportunity to write a new story. For months—years even—I thought the story on CJ McWilliams was over. There was nothing else to learn. But now McWilliams has the opening to add a new chapter and rewrite his ending. It starts by acknowledging the Georgia game. Tight end Kyle Pitts, who must work against McWilliams in practice, said this of his teammate’s current Gator legacy. “C.J. is a guy that people kind of overlooked, I feel like, after that Georgia game. I feel like, after that Georgia game. Everybody was just bashing him, but that’s not the real C.J…I think it’s pretty tough on him because just allowing him — throwing that off of one game.” So who is the real C.J.? Pitts says it’s someone who can do “everything.” “The real C.J. is how he’s playing now, 100 percent. He’s sticking, he’s hitting people hard in the open. He can guard. He can do everything that when he came here he’s doing now. I think, like I said, first game, everybody going to be kind of shocked seeing him out there making plays. “So, when he got a chance to bounce back, he's been doing nothing but just pinning his ears back and going for it now, looking at the pass.” Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham tips his hat to McWilliams, who he says has fought back hard from his injury to earn the role he’s now being given. “To the guys credit, the guy's really busted his tail, he's worked hard. He's been healthy through this whole thing. He's, he's really done what we've asked, he's done a nice job so he'll be a part of our, you know, our roster, our players and he'll be able to contribute to what we do. He's really earned it. He's done a good job of making himself into a guy that we feel that we can count on in certain situations." Those certain situations will undoubtedly come up on Saturday as Lane Kiffin targets the DB who hasn’t played in over a year. When that happens, I genuinely hope CJ McWilliams shines. It’s going to be a heck of a story if he does, and one I’ll be happy to tell.

Buddy Martin: I see Florida as an 8-2 team in the regular season, with losses to Texas A&M on the road and either Georgia or LSU – but not both. That will be good enough to get the Gators to Atlanta, where they will lose to Alabama in a close one, 35-32, which will not be good enough to challenge for a playoff spot because of three losses, despite strength of schedule. Kyle Trask will throw for almost 3,000 yards – 25 percent of it to tight end Kyle Pitts, who will win the John Mackey Award for the nation’s best tight end. Justin Shorter will be a new star at wide receiver. On defense, expect an All-American season for Marco Wilson and an All-SEC performance for Brenton Cox. Franz Beard: The road to a Florida championship once again runs through Jacksonville. As Rick Flair used to say, “To be the man, you have to beat the man” and in this case the man for the last three years has been Georgia. This Florida team is the one Dan Mullen has spent the previous two seasons building. He finally has an SEC roster top to bottom and a talented, experienced two-deep on both sides of the ball that can compete with and beat any team in the league. The schedule works well. The Gators get the Aggies week three, one week after they play at Alabama. LSU is a home game and the Tigers aren’t the same team they were last year. That points everything to Georgia on November 7. Win that one and the Gators win the SEC East. Florida will make the College Football Playoff either as SEC champs or as a wild card. On offense, Kyle Trask will build on last year and Stewart Reese will have an All-America season on the O-line. On defense, the two names to watch are James Houston and Brenton Cox Jr. Ainslie Lee: Florida’s roster is undoubtedly as well rounded as any in the country in 2020. The number of returning faces to Dan Mullen’s roster is sure to soften the blow of an unorthodox offseason. Shaking the term “backup”, Kyle Trask will finish as the best quarterback in the SEC after posting passing numbers greater than 3,000 yards. Meanwhile, Trevon Grimes and Jacob Copeland will lead the way in receiving numbers. Defensively, Brenton Cox Jr. and Ventrell Miller will have breakout years as leaders of the defense. We will also see Marco Wilson’s decision to stay for his senior year pay off. Florida’s roster on both sides of the ball will help lead them to a 8-1 regular season record after dropping its game against Texas A&M on the road in week three. A win over Georgia will send the Gators to the SEC Championship where, frankly, anything can happen against the Crimson Tide. Kassidy Hill: Lane Kiffin has enough tricks up his sleeve to make this interesting...for the first two drives anyways. Kiffin prides himself on unpredictable offense but once his 15 scripted plays run out, I anticipate Todd Grantham dialing up the pressure and going after this young offense. Marco Wilson also told reporters he is bringing a little extra juice to go after former Florida commit and current Ole Miss QB, Matt Corral. There is no one on the Rebels defense (now led by former Florida DC DJ Durkin) that can cover Kyle Pitts. Final prediction? Gators, 31-20.

No. 5 Florida (0-0, 0-0 SEC) @ Ole Miss (0-0, 0-0 SEC) Location: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Miss. Kickoff: 12 p.m. Broadcast: ESPN On the call: Joe Tessitore, play-by-play; Greg McElroy, analyst; Marty Smith, sideline Vegas lines: -14.5, Florida Setting the scene: The Gators and the Rebels meet for the first time since 2015, where No. 25 Florida upset No. 3 Ole Miss 38-10 in The Swamp. With a win on Saturday, the Gators can even the series history, which is currently 12-11-1 in the Rebels’ favor. Florida leads 5-2 in Vaught-Hemingway. Rosters: Florida: https://floridagators.com/sports/football/roster Ole Miss: https://olemisssports.com/sports/football/roster

A few thoughts to jump start your Tuesday morning: A side-by-side comparison of Florida’s 2018 and 2019 rosters with the recently released 2020 roster is all you need to understand why the Gators just might be the team to beat in the Southeastern Conference. Despite the lack of a supervised offseason training program due to the Covid-19 virus the Florida roster shows impressive weight gain and in some cases, weight loss, not exactly what was expected with players having to train on their own since April. Ethan White (currently injured, but due back) was 370 last year and is now a svelte 335. Richard Gouraige (298 last year) checks in at 316. Michael Tarquin came to UF last year at 279. He’s now 312. Stone Forsythe should be much quicker at 312 (329 last year). Khris Bogle isn’t the 218-pound stringbean but is now 240. Jeremiah Moon is up 22 pounds (to 250). Malik Davis should be more durable at 205 (195 last year). Emory Jones is 210 (199 last year). Zachary Carter is 290 after playing at 263. Tedarrell Slaton is down 18 pounds to 340. Antwuan Powell is up 26 pounds to 260. Kingsley Eguakun is 28 pounds heavier (294 last year). And those are just a few of the impressive gains (and losses). What this tells us is the Gators had a very disciplined offseason and they stuck together as a team. They followed the plans strength and conditioning coordinator Nick Savage gave them. They stuck with the diets the nutrition staff prepared for them. The result is a team that is better prepared physically for 2020 than the one that went 11-2 in 2019. Prior to the pandemic, the Gators had enough talent on the roster to challenge for a championship in the fall. An offseason with no serious off-the-field issues, no academic casualties and a team that made it a point to stick together while closely following the plans of Savage and the nutritionists makes the possibility of a championship challenge all the more real. The Gators still have to win a championship on the field, but they’ve got a strong foundation. SURPRISE: DONOVAN TAKES CHICAGO BULLS JOB The Philadelphia 76ers seemed like a match made in heaven for former Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan. All the moving parts are there for a championship run but instead of taking the Philly job (supposedly it was his if he wanted it), Donovan is the new coach of the Chicago Bulls. The Sixers have the best big man in the league in Joel Embiid, a triple-double looking for a place to happen in Ben Simmons and a top-to-bottom roster that needs only a good coach. So why did Donovan snub the under-achieving Sixers for the even more under-achieving Bulls? The Bulls don’t lack for talent, they should be $50 million under the salary cap and they’ve got the fourth pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, which could land Obi Toppin, the Dayton superstar who played for Anthony Grant. Additionally, Donovan will be working for new Bulls exec VP Arturas Karnishovas, the guy who built the Denver Nuggets roster (Nuggets are in the NBA West finals). Karnishovas has the reputation of a guy you can work with. Philly GM Elton Brand has had an undistinguished three year run as the Sixers GM. AROUND THE SEC: WHO STARTS AT QUARTERBACK #2 ALABAMA: Nick Saban named Mac Jones as his starting quarterback but everyone in Tuscaloosa is asking how long before hotshot freshman Bryce Young takes over? Saturday’s game: at Missouri ARKANSAS: Not only is Florida grad transfer Feleipe Franks the starting QB, but he’s also a team captain. The backup is redshirt freshman K.J. Jefferson, who played in three games including a start against LSU last year. Saturday’s game: vs. #4 Georgia #8 AUBURN: Bo Nix returns for his second year as the starting quarterback. His backup is former minor league baseball player Cord Sandberg. Saturday’s game: vs. #23 Kentucky #4 GEORGIA: There is no official word that Southern Cal transfer JT Daniels has been cleared to play so until he’s given the okay the QB is going to be redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis, who missed 2019 after undergoing emergency surgery for a brain cyst. If Daniels isn’t in the mix, the backup will be senior Stetson Bennett. Saturday’s game: at Arkansas #23 KENTUCKY: Terry Wilson is the starter with Sawyer Smith once again the backup. The Wildcats still don’t have an NCAA waiver for Auburn transfer Joey Gatewood. Saturday’s game: at #8 Auburn #6 LSU: Not that anyone should be surprised, but Ed Orgeron will go with fourth-year junior Myles Brennan at quarterback. Brennan has a big arm but has never played a serious down of football in the SEC. Backup is likely to be true freshman Max Johnson, son of former FSU and Tampa Bay QB Brad Johnson. Saturday’s game: vs. Mississippi State MISSISSIPPI STATE: Stanford grad transfer K.J. Costello was named the starter by Mike Leach. The backup will be Will Rogers. Last year’s part-time starter Garrett Shrader has made the move to wide receiver. Saturday: at #6 LSU MISSOURI: New HBC Eli Drinkwitz has yet to name a starting quarterback but most would be surprised if it’s anyone other than TCU transfer Shawn Robinson, who sat last year due to NCAA transfer rules. The backup will probably be Taylor Powell, who played in six games and got a start against Georgia last year. Saturday: vs. #2 Alabama OLE MISS: Lane Kiffin hasn’t named a starting quarterback, which lends speculation that he will run a two quarterback system to take advantage of the running of John Rhys Plumlee and the passing of Matt Corral. Saturday: vs. #5 Florida SOUTH CAROLINA: Colorado State grad transfer Collin Hill has won the starting job over incumbent Ryan Hillinski. Hill was a sometime starter for Mike Bobo at Colorado State. Bobo is now the offensive coordinator at South Carolina. Saturday: vs. #16 Tennessee TENNESSEE: Jarrett Guarantano is the undisputed #1 quarterback but the backup is anybody’s guess. J.T. Shrout has gotten the most work lately but only because Brian Maurer and true freshman Harrison Bailey have had to miss practices. Saturday: at South Carolina #10 TEXAS A&M: Kellen Mond is back to start for the fourth straight year and the third for HBC Jimbo Fisher. The backup is redshirt freshman Zach Calzada. Saturday: at Vanderbilt VANDERBILT: Vandy doesn’t have a quarterback who has taken a single Division I snap and apparently none of the four battling for the job – Jeremy Moussa, Danny Clark, Ken Seals or Mike Wright – have distinguished themselves in practice because HBC Derek Mason hasn’t even hinted which one will be the starter Saturday. Saturday: vs. #10 Texas A&M PITHY WEDNESDAY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE OTHER 13 SEC TEAMS ALABAMA: Alabama’s offense is going to be just fine whether it’s Mac Jones or Bryce Young at QB. If the defense isn’t vastly improved over the team that gave up 31 to Ole Miss, 46 to LSU and 48 to Auburn last year, Nick Saban will go three years without a national championship for the first time in his Bama coaching career. ARKANSAS: The Hogs could be the most improved team in the SEC and still go 0-10. Circle Mizzou in game nine. That might be the weekend the Hogs avoid an oh-fer. AUBURN: If Auburn loses to either Kentucky or Georgia (or both) the first two weeks of the season, those fickle fans will be sending money to a Go Fund Me page to raise the $20-plus million it will take to buy out Gus Malzahn. If Gus wins both those games, they will fall in love with him and remain in love for at least another week. GEORGIA: Remember how Georgia’s offense was going to be so much better without Jake Fromm (State Farm) with Jamie Newman at the helm? Bet a whole lot of folks in Athens would give body parts to have Jake back. KENTUCKY: Kentucky was, is and will always be a basketball school which is why a lot of folks wonder why Mark Stoops hasn’t bolted for a job at a school where football is a bigger deal. There is a simple answer for that. He can go 7-5 every year and they’ll love him in the Big Blue Nation. At a place like Alabama the sky is falling when the Crimson Tide goes 10-2. LSU: There is no Joe Burrow to the rescue this year and no Joe Brady designing the best offense ever seen in college football. Too many players are earning NFL paychecks. Not enough fans (due to Covid-19) unleashing the lung power that comes from four days of heavy drinking. Coach O will still be the best interview in the SEC and the Tigers will still be good, just not as good as last year. MISSISSIPPI STATE: Now wouldn’t it be something if Mike Leach were to win his debut game as an SEC coach by kneecapping LSU in Baton Rouge? There is a better chance of this happening when Tiger Stadium is minus 75,000 drunk Cajuns than there would be a post-pandemic Saturday night and the crowd would number 100,000. MSU is a 16-1/2 point road dog. Good chance LSU wins but won’t cover. MISSOURI: Welcome to the SEC Eli Drinkwitz. About now you must be wondering just who was it you pissed off so badly because starting with 2nd-ranked Alabama on Saturday, you get to play six ranked teams in your first seven games. OLE MISS: Lane Kiffin might not break even this year, but he will go 8-2 in the post game interviews, losing only to Coach O and Mike Leach. SOUTH CAROLINA: Everybody has wondered what a Will Muschamp-coached team could do with something other than a brain dead offensive coordinator. He’s got his guy in Mike Bobo. The Gamecocks might not rip and shred through a 10-game SEC only schedule, but there’s a pretty good chance they’ll light up Tennessee Saturday. TENNESSEE: The Vols won their last six games of 2019 which is why their fans think they’ll just keep on winning this year. Two teensy little problems with Vol-Think 2020 – (1) In winning six straight last year the Vols didn’t beat a decent team and (2) Jarrett Guarantano is still the quarterback. Vol fans will be thinking Jeremy Pruitt is Butch Jones Part Deux if they lose to South Carolina Saturday. TEXAS A&M: Kellen Mond is the most experienced quarterback in the SEC and one of the most experienced in the country with three years of starting experience under his belt. It doesn’t take three years to become an overnight sensation, which is to say the Aggies are going to do something like 7-3 or 6-4 and the boosters who write those ginormous checks are going to ask what the hell were we thinking when we gave Jimbo Fisher a 10-year, $75-million contract with all the money guaranteed? VANDERBILT: Let’s see, the worst facilities in the SEC, a coach who would have been fired long ago if this were anywhere else in the league, not nearly enough talent to compete and four quarterbacks who have never taken a Division I snap. Derek Mason probably won’t get fired if he goes 0-10. If he wins a game, whoever he beats needs to see if he can build an Amway business. ATTORNEY TOM MARS SAID IT: Mars, who has had unprecedented success getting the NCAA to approve waivers for his clients, fired this shot across the bow of Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who has slow played the waiver request of Ole Miss DB Otis Reese. “What people are missing here is that Kirby Smart’s unequivocal support would have caused the NCAA to rubber stamp Otis’ waiver request. But whether it’s Cade Mays (transferred to Tennessee), Ohio State’s star QB (Justin Fields), or Otis Reese, Coach Smart always seems to focus on pleasing the angry, retaliatory UGA fans.”

Florida Gators Offensive Coordinator Brian Johnson met with local media on Monday and discussed As a GatorBait Magazine subscriber, you receive exclusive access to this full transcript. DO YOU TALK TO YOUR GUYS ABOUT BEING ON COVER OF NCAA FOOTBALL BACK IN THE DAY? GUYS PLAY AS YOU? "No. It's crazy because like, I can't remember the last year they stopped making it, but it's been so long that they were probably like just getting to decent video game age when that came out. They were probably like 10 or so. Yeah, I do feel old now. But that was fun. I remember when it came out, it was really cool." MULLEN'S BIGGEST WORRY GOING TO GET ON PLANE AND FINDING OUT 10 GUYS CAN'T GO DUE TO QUARANTINE. WHAT CONTINGENCY PLANS Y'ALL HAVE? "Well I mean there's only so much that you can control in terms of contingency plans. I think the biggest thing is just making sure that we're organized and detailed and guys really take advantage of the reps and understand the plans going in. Coach has been doing this for a long time. There's obviously no manual for COVID in 2020, so you've got to be really flexible. But he's a really smart guy and I know he'll have a great plan for us." YOU GOT PROMOTED, HOW'D THAT CHANGE YOUR ROLE? "Obviously our entire offensive staff has been together for a really long time. I talked to coach Mullen, we talked probably before all this COVID stuff hit and obviously 2020's been a very weird year so I guess it kind of just got lost in the sauce a little bit, but excited to make sure that we go out there and compete at a really high level on a consistent basis each and every week.” Logistics of move? “I don’t know how much will change from a day-to-day aspect. Like I said, we have a lot of continuity on our staff, so our schedule and our routine is pretty set in terms of how we operate on a daily basis. In terms of game day, I’ve always been really heavily involved, myself and Coach Mullen, determining how we call the game and what we’re calling and what we’re running. From a logistical standpoint, I don’t know how much in a change in terms of our day-to-day operation.” Excited to get the title? “Yeah, definitely. It’s really exciting. We have great players here and a great coaching staff. I’m excited to get that opportunity and help our team go out there and perform at a really high level.” Matt Corral evaluation? “I remember going to see Matt. It was the first visit I actually went to. I got hired that Sunday and I was on a plane from Houston to L.A. to go see him first thing Monday morning. I met coach out there, we got a chance to visit with him for a little bit. I don’t think he ever made it to his official visit here - he decided to sign with Ole Miss. He’s obviously a guy that was really highly recruited in that class and I’ve had a chance to watch him play a little bit throughout the course of his career. I remember watching him in the Egg Bowl last year. He’s a really, really talented player and I’m sure he just like the rest of us are looking forward to getting out there Saturday and finally getting a chance to play some ball.” Dan says Plumlee fast as hell, can you break down what he brings? “Yeah, he can really roll. I remember, he’s obviously a Mississippi kid, so he came up to camp. He can fly. He’s very dynamic as an athlete and makes a bunch of game-breaking plays. Luckily, I don’t have to be Coach Grantham this week. I’ll let Coach Grantham deal with him.” How much was OC promotion discussed when came here, what would lead to that? “It’s just a really unique situation because obviously I’ve know coach a really long time, worked together a really long time - as with everybody on the offensive staff with John and Billy and Knox, as well. Even when we were at Mississippi State we had a system in place of how everything worked on game day and throughout the course of the week. It’s always been a really collaborative effort in terms of our plan. And you know one of things we always talk about is we really do most of the work calling the game on Monday through Thursday. When you get out there on the field it becomes a little of bit of instincts and things take over. For the most part you do your work early and the guys put in together and we’ve been very collaborative during the course of our careers together.” Familiarity with coaches on offensive side being a big deal with COVID: “I think it’s a huge deal just in terms of being ready to make adjustments. I think 2020 is a year where everybody has to be as flexible as possible. The fact that we have a lot of people on our staff who have been together and know the problems of what defenses are trying to do to you and have the adjustments ready to go and be able to present that and teach it very quickly and get it fixed on the sideline. That’s something that’s going to be very important to do this year. It definitely is a huge positive for us, I think.” Potentially the first Black OC in school history? “I didn’t realize that. If that is the case, it’s obviously something to be very, very proud of. Coaching the quarterbacks is obviously a big deal, especially here at a place like the University of Florida, where they have a very rich tradition of elite quarterback play and there’s three statues downstairs that prove that. It does make you proud, if that is the case. I haven’t looked that up, so I’m not sure. But it’s definitely something to be proud of, for sure.” Offers to leave UF this offseason? “Um, not necessarily, no. Like I said, it was something that Coach Mullen and I kind of talked about for a little while. I think for him it was the perfect opportunity to make everything kind of fit into place. I don’t know in terms of our day-to-day operation … I think we’ll continue to have a really collaborative effort. Obviously, when you’re head coach is very involved in the offense, it’s a little bit different. He knows the ability to advance in this profession, being a quarterbacks coach is a pipeline to that and it’s something that’s his specialty and he’s done a good job helping me throughout the course of my career and helping me develop as a coach each and every day.” Hope you weren’t blindsided by any of that “No, it was a good question. I just hadn’t given it much thought to be completely honest with you. I mean, obviously that narrative has been out there in terms of guys climbing the ladder from an offensive perspective kind of goes through that quarterback pipeline. There’s definitely some truth to that. At the end of the day I just want to make sure that our guys play really, really well and consistent week in and week out and I’ve always been under the impression that you know, be where your feet are and make sure you can do the best job that you can in your current position and good things happen.” Y’all said Kyle Trask lost weight, but the roster has him weighing one pound more…. WTF? “His body has definitely changed. He’s probably about where he was when we first got here. Like I said, once he broke his foot in the end of ‘18 is kind of when he gained a couple of pounds after he broke his foot. He’s done a fantastic job of working himself back down, eating clean, taking care of his body, and just being a pro in how he handles his business each and every day. I’m excited to go out there and watch him cut it loose on Saturday.” Kyle says he can be a better rusher now…. (Laughing) “We’re going to turn him into Lamar (Jackson), you know? Kyle’s going to be efficient running the ball for us. Like we always say is he has to be willing and then be a great decision-maker in terms of knowing when to get down, knowing what we need for a first down, and being efficient in the run game. Being able to take what the defense gives you and keep our offense on the field is what we’re looking for.” Any favorite stories you can share about going against Ole Miss? “Those guys were there a lot longer than I was, with Coach Mullen and Hev and Knox, so they have some. I was a part of, I guess, 3 Egg Bowls, and it was as fierce of a rivalry as there is in all of college football. If I have a favorite moment of mine, I think it was the 2016 year we went up there and won pretty good, so that was fun.” Ole Miss a tough scout in a sense, guys on their defense you’d circle though? “Yeah, I mean, they return, their linebacking corps is probably the heart and soul of their defense, so we’ve got to be ready for those guys. You know it does provide a unique challenge, you know, first games are generally a crapshoot anyways in terms of schematics, because teams spend the entire offseason working on new things, so you’ve got to be ready to adjust and like coach says, our first game is really about you. It’s about how hard you play, your attention to detail and your technique and fundamentals, and making sure that you bring your own energy.” What have you seen from watching old Durkin tape and what can you expect from Rebels defense? “You know, I think the biggest thing is they provide, they are very multiple in what they’ve done, so they give you a lot of different looks. And the system marries will together, I mean Coach Durkin’s been around for a long time so he knows what causes problems and how to marry his defense well, between mixing fronts and coverages and things of that nature, so you know the good thing for us I think is that we go against the defense every single day. Throughout Fall camp, going against Coach Grantham, you see a lot of different looks, so I think it can help you process what you’re seeing in terms of kind of looks that you don’t see very often, so we got to do a great job of communicating and being ready to adjust on gameday, because like I said, these first games can be tricky, especially when you’ve got a new staff on both sides of the ball, because they’ve been working on stuff all year as well, so we’ve got be kind of ready to see how they play us.” Lorenzo Lingard not on the depth chart? “I didn’t do any of the depth chart stuff, it was all Coach, so you can get with Coach Mullen.”

Florida Gators Head Coach Dan Mullen met with local media on Monday. Finally in the first game week of the 2020 season, Mullen previewed Saturday's match against Ole Miss. He also reflected on his history with Ole Miss from his time as Mississippi State head coach. Mullen also revealed injuries—some season ending—and the expected return for others. As a GatorBait Magazine subscriber, you are receiving exclusive access to this full transcript. Opening Statement: “Ok, kind of seems like a long time. I don't know. It’s like Bizarro World right? Like Bizarro Jerry if you ever saw that Seinfeld episode, like I'm like this weird deal. I've never been this late in September we haven't played. For our guys, obviously it's a huge adjustment this week for us because you got to go full on change into game mode, different types of practice, different preparation, different routine. Different everything for us getting ready from what we've been doing. It's been a long time since we played so we're excited to go. “Injury wise for you guys; I'll give you a Finley Graham will be out this week. He has a broken arm. Lamar Goodes has a foot strain he'll be out. Josh C is out with a hamstring strain. Nick Sutton is out. Ethan Pouncey will be out for the year, had hip surgery and Ethan White will be out coming off, had a knee surgery we expect him to be back shortly though. Those are injuries right now. So I know you guys love those things. So, what questions you have or is that it? Gave you guys the injuries, I can go now.” I mean how much, how much are you curious and looking forward to seeing how your team responds to all that they've had to go through and then and then to go on the road to start the season? "Ah, I mean we’re excited, I’m excited to see how we respond and how we come out play. I know our guys I think we're, I think everybody's excited to play. Excited to get out there on the field and go. I'm excited to see how we respond how we handle it, you know, because I think it's a little bit different. It's going to be a different environment that we play in, obviously going on the road is always—on the road in the SEC is always a big challenge but you know the the environments and how those are going to be played out differently. You know, and then, you know, our travel will be a little bit different this year than it's been in the past, how we set up game day you know, with, with meals and all of that stuff of trying to keep everybody spaced out. You know, I'm excited. I mean, you know we haven't played in forever so I'm excited for us to play, you know, like, you know, you keep asking, you know 'hey how are we going to be this year?' I don't know, we're gonna find out on Saturday I mean all we’ve, kind of had a weird training camp only going against each other so you know, be good to see what we look like against another team and a quality SEC team." And also, how are you in terms of is it I mean is everybody else expected to be as we sit here right now ready to go in terms of any contact tracing or testing? "Yeah, I don't know, I'm not going to get into that stuff, that's not for me to get into I don't think. You know I mean I give you guys the, the injury report but that, all of that stuff and how that works, I don't know, I'm gonna have to brush up on all my medical stuff of how we, how we would let people know if there is anybody of that nature." So we'll find out Saturday? “You'll find out Saturday." Are you relieved to get to this point and what makes you anxious going into this, this game? "Ah, one obviously you're kind of getting into your routine. You’re always anxious in game one into, 'have I, you know, do I have my checklist of all our stuff?' But you're not in the routine, you know, I mean by game—you get into your game week routine and you're just very routine oriented. You know game one, you're not really in that routine yet. So that makes me anxious. Obviously the, all the COVID stuff makes you anxious, you know what I mean is, is all the different scenarios that can play out during the course of the week. I mean you could sit here and on Thursday afternoon, say, ‘Hey these 10 guys can’t play.’ You know? You kind of have your whole game plan done, your depth chart done. Right now, as it's set up, I could be getting ready to walk on the plane and they could say, 'Hey, these 10 guys can't get on the plane' and you've got to do a whole new game plan Friday night. That makes me pretty anxious. That'll keep you up at night just trying to create as many different, solve as many different issues and problems and deal with every one of these scenarios that could happen." An assistant coach tested positive, is everyone back on the staff? "Yeah, yeah. That was a false positive. We did have a coach test positive and we found out, the next three days he tested negative and it was a false positive from the lab." O-line has made strides and shown experience; feel like you. finally have a downhill running game? "Well, I think two years ago we ran the ball pretty well, I thought. Last year not as well, so I don't know, we'll find out on Saturday, you know, how well we'll run the ball. Like I said, I mean if you would have asked me going into the season last year, I'd have thought, 'Boy, we can really run the ball downhill and we're pretty physical up front' and it just didn't turn out that way in games. We were much better passing and doing other things. If you would have asked me the year before that, I didn't know we were as good a running team as we were coming into the season. We ended up being a pretty darned good running team. I think a lot of it you don't know until you start playing other people because you've just kind of gone against yourself so much. The offense and the defense kind of know each other, they know how to play against each other, they know their opponents, and I think sometimes it gets skewed the wrong way of what you do well and what you do poorly. Once you get into games you find out a little bit more." Have you talked to college, NFL coaches about generating energy without big crowds? "Yeah, it's interesting. I've talked to people. One, we are going to have people in the stands. You talk to people, the difference when there are people in the stands to when there aren't people in the stands and how different that is and the different feeling of everything. We're going to have some people in the stands, but even with people in the stands it's going to be very different than what you're used to. So we've talked about that and kind of prepared our guys for that." Have you had any players opt out? "Nope. But it's only Monday." History with Ole Miss, favorite memories? “Oh wow, a bunch. You’re talking that the Mississippi State-Ole Miss game is one of the great rivalries in sports. So to be involved in that, such a huge, huge deal. So, yeah, I have five great memories and four terrible memories, I think of that game, of playing against them. Any time you win. I mean, holding that trophy up when you win that Egg Bowl trophy, something that’s really, really, really special. Rivalries are one of the things, look at the rivalries, look the traditions. Those are the things that make college football so great and so special - the passion of the fans. And you have the in-state rivalries. You’re talking neighbor against neighbor. I have a bunch of good ones, I have a couple bad ones, too, in that game. It’s different now. Everyone’s like, you know, I don’t think I said Ole Miss for nine years, but now I say it. That was all just part of the rivalry. It became a pretty big deal, you know what I mean, early on it was kind of, when I first got there, the teams were kind of fighting for their identity. Then all of the sudden when I was there, both teams became top-10, national programs. So I think that kind of also, I don’t know if it helped bring it to that level or the rivalry brought it to that level or the intensity got both teams to that level of playing. But it certainly became a big deal and it became a huge game.” Why did you not call it Ole Miss, why was it the school up north? “I did not give them credit for that. We were the state university of Mississippi. And, you know, there was Southern Miss, I didn’t call them Northern Miss, you know. But I got people all worked up too. No, it’s just one of those things you do. To be honest with you, it sparks the rivalry. It’s something about your kids. It was always something that made that game so different than every other game because that was your big rivalry game of the year. So it was always just little things we would do to make that game different and feel different and kind of stand alone in a uniqueness and being a big game in our rivalry. So that was just one of the things we did for them.” Yea but you never had anyone simulate using the restroom... “I saw that last year. That was a tough deal. It’s such a big game. I don’t know that was such an intense game, so, you know, in those deals and to see … that was a crazy ending to that game last year. I remember watching that one. I was a big proponent of that game being played on Thanksgiving, and then now I’m not there to play it. So we get to go up to Oxford and play Ole Miss on a regular deal. I don’t know, I remember going to a high school once and the lady - hopefully Ole Miss they’re cheering, they like me now - I had a lady come up and say, ‘Coach I pray for you every day.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s so nice of you.’ She goes, “I’m an Ole Miss fan. I pray somebody comes hires and gets you heck out of this state as soon as possible.’ Just the intensity of the rivalry, so now I left so maybe they like me a little bit.” In game week…scouting report on Ole Miss? “It’s tough. One of the things, you look at the talented players. They’ve got two really talented quarterbacks, great talent at running back, some guys on the edge, O-line has some guys kind of back up front on the O-line. Defensively, inside linebacker has a lot of experience and guys that can come off the edge and rush the passer. And guys that have played in the secondary. They have guys that have been out there, guys that have played. One of the hard ones is when you have a whole new coaching staff. They’re looking at us and saying, ‘Hey, let’s get last year’s film.” Same offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, head coach, special teams coordinator’s all the same. Theirs, everybody’s brand new. So you’re kind of trying to mix and match what they’re going to do offensively, what they’re going to do defensively, what they’re going to do special teams wise. Watching all these different other teams from where people have been in the past and then you’re trying to watch their personnel. It’s always tricky. I’m never a big fan of not watching the team you’re playing. Anytime you play a team with a new staff, that’s’ what you have to do.” See anything that jumped out from the NFL that you jotted down? “No. We do that in the offseason, so we study a lot of NFL stuff in the offseason. That Cowboys onside kick was pretty impressive.” —Depends on which team you’re on. “Yeah. Just little things. I saw that. A lot of the stuff we end up watching a lot more in the offseason, breaking down a lot of the NFL  during the spring and the offseason more than the last weekend or two weeks ago. We were working all day yesterday, so I didn’t get to see much NFL yesterday.” Gainesville Police Department coming over last week to talk to the team. How important was that/what was the reaction of players? “I think it was great, very educational. We’ve done a lot of things. We’ve done the players talking to each other, different groups, different experiences. In light of where we’re at today, I thought it was really important to hear different sides of things. Great for law enforcement to hear issues, thoughts and concerns, how our guys think. Also for our guys to be educated on a lot of different things. I learned a couple of the new things. So I thought – very helpful, very beneficial. I have a lot of respect for our law enforcement. I think they have such a very, very difficult job in what they do and the respect I have for them is immense. I always have. I think I always, wherever I’ve been, with the football team, we end up trying to have a great relationship with the law enforcement where you are, because you’re two very recognizable groups in the community. So I think for our guys to kind of learn and learn a little bit about them, learn different things, different procedures, different situations they’re into and have a different feelings for these people that also have an extremely—they live their life really under a microscope in the community, as well.” Are you content with how the team approached fall camp and everything that was thrown at them? “Yeah. I think our guys have done a great job to this point. We’ll see how it translates Saturday. I’m pleased with how our guys have handled everything. The maturity with how they’ve handled things, how they’ve continued to work and improve. I mean, the responsibility of wearing their mask, social distancing, trying to limit issues. I think our guys have done a really good job. I’m happy with where we are. We’ll see how it plays out Saturday.” What did you learn about Ole Miss’ defense with DJ Durkin and Chris Partridge? “Well they’ve never played a game together, so I don’t know. We’ll find out on Saturday. I mean, what we’re doing is trying to look at the different schemes, look at the different personnel, we’ll know more about that on Saturday. If we were to watch them play a couple games I could give you a better answer.” What is it like to assimilate into a culture in Mississippi, can Lane Kiffin do it, what does he bring to the program? “I think this, I went to Mississippi as a northerner going into Mississippi, I think there were a lot of questions about me. I won a bunch of football games at Mississippi State, so they accepted me. My kids were local; they were born there, so they were ok. Megan and I, we won a bunch of games so we got accepted, so they started to like us. I think one of the really unique things about coaching is you get to experience a bunch of different things. I’ve gotten to go to a lot of different places around the country, experience different cultures, experience different people. I think Lane will do a great job. I think Lane’s a good coach, brings a lot of energy, brings confidence, and kind of a swagger to a team. I think that’s something that will be really good for Ole Miss, to have a guy like that at the helm and to help give that confidence. I know this, in Mississippi they love their football. They love their college football. They love their teams. I think Lane will do great because I loved living in Mississippi. There are great people, great sense of community, great family values in the state. Have a lot of close friends that we made in our time there. If you ask a lot of guys on our coaching staff they’ll tell you it was their favorite place they ever lived. Some of our coaches, their kids are going back there to go to college. That just speaks highly of the sense of community. I didn’t spend time in Oxford much, but in Starkville, the sense of community, the sense of people, and the quality of people that are in Mississippi, I can’t say enough. The best thing about the state of Mississippi are the people and the Mississippians are a great people. I really enjoyed the time there and I’m sure Lane will too. To be honest with you, I think he’ll have a great time too.” How do you set but still temper expectations for fans? “I’ll be honest, I always set high expectations. It would be hard for me not to lead them down the wrong road. I always have extremely high expectations of myself, our team and our football program. Our coaches, our players, I have extremely high expectations of everybody. I always have. That’s just me as a coach, I want us to be the absolute best we can be every single day. I want us to compete for championships on a yearly basis. If that causes our fans to think. … we’re better than we are, then it does. You know what, my expectations, I’m not going to lower my expectation level to make it easier for our fan base to accept where we are. My expectations are probably going to be higher than our fan base’s. I also do think probably a little different because I’m viewing our expectations on a play-by-play, day-by-day basis more than, ‘Hey, the season ended at this record.’ I’m looking at expectations at a different view than the general fan. I have a play-by-play expectation.” During your first cycle, Matt Corral was committed to Florida and you went out there to visit him. What was it like to get to know him and his family? What do you think about the job he’s done at Ole Miss? “I got to meet him just the one time, went out there and visited him one time. He seemed like a nice kid, a nice family. He’s a good quarterback, has a live arm, can make a lot of different throws, deceptively athletic in that. … I think he’s, for kind of a guy that’s is credited to be a passer, he’s pretty athletic and can extend plays, make things happen out there on the field. He hasn’t been there very long, so to be, he’s still growing, still learning and then a new system, see you he adapts to that system.” What was your favorite win at Oxford? Probably the last one, right? “I won twice there, they were both really good, to be honest with you.” You hung a lot of points? “That series, when you play huge rivalry games, it’s hard to say I have a favorite, you know what I mean. You embrace every single one of them. The last time I was there we had a great win. The first time I was there we had a great one. So, they were both really, really good.” Rash of injuries in the NFL, some say, may have to do with shortened offseason. Is that a concern for you? “We’ll see. I did see something about that and that was one of the first things that popped into my mind — how prepared is everyone ready to go? We haven’t played games yet, so we’ll see how that plays out in games. We’re very protective of our guys in practice. We take health extremely seriously in practice. But injuries, unfortunately, are part of the game of football, so as you see guys get banged up — especially when you high profile guys, that’s bad at the next level — we’ll see as the season plays out if it does or not. I don’t that I have any facts to say yes or no about it at this point.” With Ole Miss QB battle, how much an advantage is it to have established starter in Trask? “Yeah, I guess it’s a good advantage, but both of their guys have started and played games. So they have experience being out there playing games, it’s just new in their system. So it’s good for us, I guess, that our guys know the system and can go out there and execute it. The tough part is, they’re guys are out there learning their system, but we don’t have much to evaluate the guys in their system and they have a lot to evaluate our games in our system.” Defending John Rhys-Plumlee, a guy who can run and throw? “They’re a little different players. Obviously, Plumlee, I mean I know really, really well. I was the first person to offer him at Mississippi State back in the day. He came up and he is an EXPLOSIVELY fast player. When he first came up, we were looking at him as a corner. He wasn’t a starting quarterback, but he was playing DB and he can fly. I mean, he has elite, elite, elite speed and is a game-breaker. He can break a game open at any time. But then you go to Matt, who can extend and scramble and play. So it’s going to be kind of that strain to play all the way to whistle on every snap. Don’t just assume. A lot of at practice, you thud, the whistle blows. ‘Hey, I had him. Hey, that would have been sack.’ We can’t assume those things. We have to get 11 guys running to the ball as hard as we can every snap.” When was that offer? "Right before his sophomore year." Cornerback? "Yeah, yeah, yeah. He’s that elite speed. I don’t know that we have anybody as fast he is." CJ Henderson last year? "No, I think [Plumlee] would probably time faster." It says Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee is a 4.4 in 40 guy at least? “Yeah, he’s pretty fast.” How does Ethan White injury reconfigure plan on offensive line for you? “Like I said, we have to get a bunch of guys ready. You hope that you really feel comfortable, I think you feel good if you have eight O-linemen kind of going in, right? You have your starting five and you have a backup center, a backup guard and a backup tackle that you feel really comfortable about playing. We’re obviously going to have more than that, but you feel really comfortable within a rotation. He’s a guy playing center and guard, so again, what it does is it hurts the depth aspect of things. We expected him to be a starter for us, either at center or guard he could start for us. Now you’re going into the sixth guy is coming in to play. It’s just the trickle-down effect. No. 7 now has to become No. 6, and eight becomes seven. You’re trying to find an eight guy that you feel really comfortable with. We have some good young players. I do think we have some really good young players but you want to always give them time to grow on the offensive line. It really, I think, hurts the depth a little bit more. But one of the reasons why, when you guys ask, ‘oh, who’s playing where?’ that we shuffle guys all over the field so that we have to opportunity to put different combinations to handle injuries. We have a different combination to get these five guys on the field. If we think we have our five best linemen, we want to have them on the field and not be position-stuck.”

A few thoughts to jump start your Monday morning: It’s way too early and there are way too many variables to be talking about championships. If you asked Dan Mullen point blank about Florida’s chances to win a championship he might tell you that championships are the goal and that he really likes his team. He should because for the first time since he became the head Gator in December of 2017 he has a roster built for a championship run. But this is only week one of ten and you win championships by winning each week until there are no more games remaining. This week the Gators open their season on the road at Ole Miss (12 noon, ESPN) where Lane Kiffin will be making his return to an SEC sideline as the head coach. There are few coaches in the profession as polarizing as Kiffin, but he really does know how to coach. Nothing would light a fire under an Ole Miss program that he intends to rebuild than to bushwhack 5th-ranked Florida in the first game of the season. Kiffin will spend the week playing up the fact the Gators will come into Saturday’s game double-digit favorites (10.5 points as of Sunday evening). Kiffin knows you can’t win a championship the first week of the season but you can lose one. He’ll convince the Rebels they can torpedo Florida’s championship aspirations if they can play over their heads. Mullen knows fully well what Kiffin will be preaching at Ole Miss. He used to do the same thing when he was the coach at Mississippi State. Now Mullen is at a place where winning big is expected so he has to spend the entire week pounding it into the Gators’ heads that Ole Miss is far better than a 10.5-point home dog. He will also spend the week convincing the Gators that this – not Texas A&M, LSU, Georgia or anyone else on the schedule – is the single-most important game of the season. His daily sermonette will be to focus on what you can control which is being the best prepared team heading into Saturday’s game. Once that one is won and out of the way, then it’s time to shift the focus to week number two. In Mullen-think, once Ole Miss is disposed of, then the single-most important game of the season is South Carolina on October 3. It will be like that for all 10 weeks of the regular season. There won’t be any bold predictions or cocky statements from Mullen this week but don’t for even one second think he isn’t confident about 2020. He knows the kind of team he has. He’s got quality at every position to go with the kind of depth it will take to make it through a 10-game SEC only grind along with the potential roster fluctuations caused by the Covid-19 virus. The Gators have exactly what it takes to run the table and make it to Atlanta undefeated for the first time since 2009. Atlanta is a long way off, however. That is the long-term goal, but for now, the goal is to beat Ole Miss in Oxford Saturday afternoon. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25 (1) Clemson 2-0; (2) Alabama 0-0; (3) Oklahoma 1-0; (4) Georgia 0-0; (5) FLORIDA 0-0; (6) LSU 0-0; (7) Notre Dame 2-0; (8, TIE) Auburn 0-0 and Texas 1-0; (10) Texas A&M 0-0; (11) North Carolina 1-0; (12) Miami 2-0; (13) UCF 1-0; (14) Cincinnati 1-0; (15) Oklahoma State 1-0; (16) Tennessee 0-0; (17) Memphis 1-0; (18) BYU 1-0; (19) Louisiana-Lafayette 2-0; (20) Virginia Tech 0-0; (21) Pittsburgh 2-0; (22) Army 2-0; (23) Kentucky 0-0; (24) Louisville 1-1; (25) Marshall 2-0 THE COACHES TOP 25 (1) Clemson 2-0; (2) Alabama 0-0; (3, TIE) Oklahoma 1-0 and Georgia 0-0; (5) LSU; (6) FLORIDA 0-0; (7) Notre Dame 2-0; (8) Auburn 0-0; (9) Texas -0; (10) Ohio State 0-0; (11) Texas A&M 0-0; (12) North Carolina 1-0; (13) Penn State 0-0; (14) Miami 2-0; (15) UCF 1-0; (16) Cincinnati 1-0; (17) Wisconsin 0-0; (18) Oklahoma State 1-0; (19) Michigan 0-0; (20) Memphis 1-0; (21) Tennessee 0-0; (22) Minnesota 0-0; (23) BYU 1-0; (24) Virginia Tech 0-0; (25) Louisiana-Lafayette 2-0 GATORS IN THE NFL: It was a big night for Freddie Swain and Quinton Dunbar. Swain caught a 21-yard pass for his first NFL touchdown in the third quarter of Seattle’s 35-30 win over the New England Patriots while Dunbar was in on six tackles and had an interception … Tight end Jordan Reed caught seven passes for 50 yards and a pair of touchdowns in San Francisco’s 31-13 win over the New York Jets. Marcus Maye had seven tackles and Brian Poole had six for the Jets … Van Jefferson had four catches for 45 yards in the Los Angeles Rams’ 37-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles … Jeff Driskel came off the bench to complete 18-34 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns in Denver’s 26-21 loss to Pittsburgh … Dante Fowler Jr. had two tackles and a half sack in Atlanta’s 40-39 loss to the Dallas Cowboys … CJ Henderson was in on six tackles in Jacksonville’s 33-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans … DeMarcus Robinson had three catches for 28 yards in Kansas City’s 23-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers. HEAVY THOUGHTS AFTER A LIGHT WEEKEND OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1) Who does the Big Ten think they are fooling when they talk about player safety? That they have hastily thrown together an 8-game schedule without any bye weeks should tell you plenty. If they truly cared about the health of the athletes – and led us not forget that was the explanation given when they cancelled the season way back when – they certainly wouldn’t have scheduled eight straight weeks of play with a championship game the following week and matchups for the other teams in the league. It’s almost like two teams playing for the title and six consolation games. Yeah, that makes sense. The reason they are playing? Pretty simple. It’s called money. The Big Ten Network has no programming, the league is getting stiffed by the networks since they aren’t playing and all 14 schools are bleeding cash. So don’t be fooled when they talk about how they re-examined all the health data and how that impacted their decision. The Big Ten is selling. I’m not sure if anyone with a functioning brain is actually buying. (2) UCF blew the doors off Georgia Tech in Atlanta (49-21) despite playing badly in the first and third quarters. After the game, QB Dillon Gabriel proclaimed the Knights are the best team in Florida. Don’t laugh. They really do think they can play and beat anyone in the state. That, of course, is seriously debatable. What isn’t debatable is they’re better than Florida State, which lost to Georgia Tech the week before. The Seminoles go down to Miami this weekend where they have an extraordinary chance to lose by three or four touchdowns. They will be playing without HBC Mike Norvell, who has tested positive for Covid-19. Some people think Norvell wishes he were still in Memphis but there are $5 million (X5 years) worth of reasons why he isn’t thinking about bolting Tallahassee. See. The Big Ten isn’t the only place where it’s all about the money. (3) Now that Miami is 2-0, Himmicane fans have done their cockroaches from out of the woodwork routine which they do periodically and they’re claiming The U is back. They’re better than they were last year because D’Eriq King is a better QB than they had last year but back? Oh please. The offense is better than last year but there is nothing impressive about their defense, which gave up 513 yards to Louisville including 206 on the ground. They will kneecap Florida State this weekend but FSU might be lucky to win three games this year. Then comes Miami’s date with reality on October 10 when they visit Climpson. That will get ugly early. Because they play in the Always Climpson Conference Miami go something like 7-3 but by no means are the Himmicanes back. (4) It’s entirely possible that Okie State running back Chuba Hubbard will discover his mojo and have a lights out season, but from what I saw of him against Tulsa, it would be an absolute shock if he makes the Heisman podium. Hubbard ran for 93 yards on 27 carries against Tulsa. He ran for 256 yards and three TDs on Tulsa last year. Put Hubbard against SEC defenses and if he can run for the big yards, then I’m a believer. From what I saw Saturday I’m a Chuba agnostic. (5) The commissioners and presidents of the Pac-12, Mountain West and Mid-American conferences have been meeting and while there are reports that decisions have been made, there really hasn’t been anything official regarding playing football in the fall. Dan Patrick reports the Pac-12 will play a six-game schedule that begins November 7 and finishes with a championship weekend plus five consolation games. There are reports the Mountain West is thinking about playing but they can’t seem to decide whether they should start on October 24 and October 31. As for the MAC, its presidents seem dazed and confused. They met over the weekend and nobody came to any decision so they will meet again this week. These people have had months to come up with contingency plans yet when it comes time to make a decision they’re all clueless. Aren’t college presidents supposed to be smart, decisive people? You coulda fooled me. (6) Linebacker Anthony Hines, who was the second leading tackler (73) at Texas A&M last year, has decided to opt out for 2020. He’s the second significant player to opt out. Earlier last year’s leading receiver Jhamon Ausbun (66-872, 5 TDs) opted out. The Aggies won’t need either Hines or Ausbon to win their season opener against Vanderbilt, but they travel to Alabama week two and host the Gators week three. SIX DAYS OF DOCTOR DUTY MAKES YOU FEEL PITHY: How is it that Tate Martell went from the 6th-ranked QB recruit in the country in 2017 to an impressive backup to Dwayne Haskins at Ohio State in 2018 to a total bust at Miami? In case you missed it, he’s opted out for 2020. Maybe he can transfer to a D1AA team that won’t play until the spring … Am I the only one who thinks Tom Brady is playing like a 43-year-old through two games with the Tampa Bay Bucs? Meanwhile Cam Newton’s career seems reborn in New England. File that under things that make you go hmmm … Since I have opted out for the NFL this year, Sunday I watched the US Open. It was quite fun watching the best players in the world fight the good fight and lose to Winged Foot. Sometimes I need to see course win and it did. Winner Bryson DeChambeau was the only one to score in red figures (-6). Wasn’t it a month ago that Dustin Johnson went -30 to win the Northern Trust Open in Boston? At the US Open there were lots of scores in the 80s which meant plenty of double bogeys and a few snowmen by the best golfers in the world. I can relate to snowmen … This is the final week of the regular season of the shortened Major League Baseball season. Have you or anyone you know watched three games? Two? One? … Something to think about from Jason Whitlock: “Many are unaware that Nike, and not the NBA, controls basketball. One could make a fair argument that the NBA is nothing more than the in-house marketing department of Nike.”

Never heard of Stella Self? You’re not alone. Until this week I had only heard about her by vague reference, but didn’t know her name and had no luck finding anybody who did. It pays to be intentional if you want to stay on task. Especially in a midst of a pandemic. While others were dabbling in geo-politics, amateur science and pseudo medicine, or waving a white flag, people like Greg Sankey and Dan Mullen were working diligently daily to seek a path forward. And they pretty much have found that pathway, thanks to a little help from their friends. Stella Self and Billy Gonzalez. “Who?” you ask? Billy Gonzalez, as you already know, is co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach for the Florida Gators, who once again has emerged as a cohesive force for Mullen’s offense and continues to enhance his reputation. Lately, the term “best wide receiver coach in the country” is being invoked so often that it’s beginning to sound like Gonzalez’s job description. Gonzalez has taken his wide receiver room from what some people considered left-overs in a Greyhound bus station waiting room to a full a compliment of talented, team-oriented, consistent playmakers. What at first appeared to be a dearth of pass catchers and shortage of skill players suddenly started looking like semi-low hanging fruit. And that’s what started the promising receiving corps legacy. “Billy’s going to do such an unbelievable job of not just recruiting and getting quality guys here, but the improvement they make in his development with them,” said Mullen. “Their development in the fundamentals of the receiver position, the style of offense that we run that prepares them to play professional football at the next level in a pro-style offense…” The message here: Come to Gainesville, learn the fundamentals of pass receiving, check your ego at the door and maybe get to play football for a living. Four senior receivers all made NFL rosters on opening day—Tyrie Cleveland (Broncos), Van Jefferson (Rams), Freddie Swain (Seahawks) and Josh Hammond (Jags). Now we’re researching the archives to when that happened last time – if ever. Turned out that the “low-hanging fruit” was plucked out of Mullen’s already-planted crop two seasons ago when Gonzalez arrived and culled four receivers from the heap, either already on the Florida roster or somebody else’s. The role of Cleveland, Jefferson, Swain and Hammond played a big part in Mullen winning 21 game over two seasons. They landed on those NFL rosters due in large part to their unselfish “team first” attitude, work ethic and consistent execution taught to them by their position coach, Gonzalez. These days the Gator receivers are now regularly praised by coaches and players in the Zoom conferences as one of the team’s strengths. Former All-American and SEC record holder Chris Doering is impressed: “I think it’s extremely cool and virtually impossible. Speaks volumes about the type of coach Billy is. There has been so many years of underachieving at the WR position for UF before he returned and he changed that immediately. Largely with guys he inherited.” More on that in a moment. Now for a word about Greg Sankey’s secret weapon, Stella Self. Don’t know Stella Self? You’re not alone. Until this week I had only heard about her by vague reference, but didn’t know her name and had no luck finding anybody who did. I heard the SEC commissioner on a local show talking about getting advice from some female biostatistician from South Carolina -- about how she convinced him to wait as long as possible before calling the shot on whether the SEC should follow the Big 10 and Pac 12 into canceling the season. What I remembered about Sankey’s interview was that he had been “mentored” by this woman in South Carolina to stay the course and study the situation closely before reaching any hard conclusions. He was taught about the path of patience and introspection. Who could have such an impact on such a powerful figure in college football? I sought her out — left jer a phone message at USC, Striking out on every front, including the SEC office, Google and a few top SEC media people like Tony Barnhart and Paul Finebaum, I sent out a few emails. I was intrigued to know her name, so made a few other calls, but finally gave up the idea, until South Carolina Assistant Athletic Director Steve Fink finally located it and texted me her name. Then, of course, I had to Google her – after which I couldn’t discern her skill set and never did learn what she told Sankey. To wit: Stella Self. Epidemiology and Biostatistics Arnold School of Public Health, Assistant Professor Department: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Arnold School of Public Health It went on to say her Research and Teaching Interests included Bayesian spatio-temporal modeling, spatial clustering analysis, disease forecasting, random effects models, and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Huh? Yeah that. I didn’t see anything in there about advising SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. And by the way, if Sankey had caved in and canceled the season, there might not have ever been a football season. So he did more than just keep the embers of hope burning. Now that we’re off and running with a an abridged season -- the SEC schedule rolling out Sept. 26 and the Big Ten 28 days later – many analysts will trace the logistics of how the championship was won. Almost nobody wants the winner to be designated with an asterisk. The team and coach that winds up with the championship will have more than earned it and will have been favored by mother nature, medicine and mentoring – including from an apparent rare gem like Stella Self. Florida has a shot at the national title. Urban Meyer sees the Gators winning the East and going to Atlanta because of their coaching staff, quarterback, defense, talent, continuity, etc. He gives Florida an edge to win the East and play Alabama, Auburn or LSU for the SEC. Not even Meyer knows this little secret, however: This season’s wide receivers are far better than most people know, thanks again to Gonzalez. In addition to returning Kyle Pitts, Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland, Kadarius Toney, Rick Wells, etc., Mullen and Gonzalez are high on youngsters Xzavier Henderson, Jay Fraziars, Trent Whittemore, Jordan Pouncey and Ja’Markis Weston. And then there is Justin Shorter, the transfer from Penn State whose accreditation by the NCAA took about the same length of time as passing the bar three times over – finally given his approval. And Mullen was almost effusive in praise of the 6-4, 226-pound X receiver. In fact, he stated that Shorter was “leading the way.” He talked about Shorter’s impressive work ethic and how he places as much importance in blocking “as catching a 50-yard touchdown pass.” “He has a great attitude,” said Mullen. “He works hard, very physical player, talented, has size, has speed. You know, and can make explosive plays down the field.” And we haven’t even seen him in action yet, although he’s very promising. Again, an edge for Mullen’s secret weapon – Gonzalez. “You look at Billy and how he develops players, you look at where we came from two years ago when we first got here and everybody’s like, ‘We have the worst receiving corps in the NCAA’ and all of a sudden four of them are playing on Sundays,” said Mullen. “It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, we fixed the problem by just going to recruit.’ We just concerned ourselves with recruiting great players. We want to recruit great players but we’re also going to coach and develop them.” It’s not uncommon to read a Tweet from one of Billy G’s Fab Four, giving their old coach props. Like: I asked Mullen how much veracity he put in the comments being made about Gonzalez by his former players who keep calling him “the best wide receiver coach in college football?” “Freddie (Swain) said it. I think Van Jefferson had something out, and those guys made impacts in games yesterday in the NFL” said Mullen. “I think you look at his body of work throughout his career and his success those guys have had going on at the next level is second to none and it’s great to hear those guys that go onto football and say he’s the best football coach in the country and if you want an opportunity to make it in the NFL, go play at Florida.” So while some people look at the Florida roster and question the caliber and depth of wide receivers, Mullen and Gonzalez see it as a strength of the team in a year when it’s anybody’s trophy to grab. There is so much to know, so much to learn – but none of it would have likely been happening without the coaching of a South Carolina assistant professor. So thank you Coach Stella Self.

For the majority of his Florida Gators career, Ventrell Miller would speak softly, gently almost, with a tendency to cast his eyes down so as not to seem an affront to those around him. At first meeting, one could call him shy, maybe even unsure. This bulking linebacker with the soul of a teddy bear could have easily been overlooked for the more ravenous teammates around him. But Christian Robinson—the Gators linebacker coach came to Gainesville with Dan Mullen and Todd Grantham in 2018, when Miller was a redshirt freshman—saw something more in the young LB. Miller was docile but not meek; quiet but with something to say. Gentle with the ability to wreck an offense. So when Miller walked into “Coach Rob’s” office one day in 2018, on the verge of upset, Robinson invested in a talent that had potential. “Hopefully he doesn’t get mad at me for telling this story - but I remember it was early in the season that first year in 2018, and he comes in my office. You know how somebody comes in and you know somebody’s upset, something’s on their heart, and he goes on to tell me, ‘Coach, I just want an opportunity. I want to be able to play,’” Robinson recently recalled. Having played for Todd Grantham and the Georgia Bulldogs, Robinson (who was only 28 at the time) remembered all too clearly what that worry can feel like for a player. So he laid out the best possible plan for Miller to achieve his potential. “I’m sitting there and thinking back to my days playing. As a coach you have to tell them what they need to hear, but you also want to give them hope. That’s something my dad always told me, don’t take your players’ hope, give them hope. I said, ‘Ventrell, you have the ability to play here. It’s going to be all these other things we got to get you on. The confidence to fit blocks, to cover certain people.’” A year later, the Gators were leading the Miami Hurricanes 24-20, in Week 0 of the 2019 college football season. The Canes had the ball though and were marching down field with 1:33 to go in the game. Miami called a timeout and Miller—who had started outside middle linebacker David Reese II and already had two sacks on the night—felt those insecurities rise back up. He looked at Robinson in the huddle and told him, “Coach I don’t know if I can go.” Robinson reminded him of that conversation in his office a year before. “I said, ‘This is where you wanted to go. This is where you wanted to be. When the game’s on the line, your belly’s burning. You want to be in these moments.’” With that pep talk, Robinson sent Miller back onto the field. Seven plays and two Gator pass-interference calls later, the Canes were knocking at the door of a last second win. They were facing a 3rd and 12 from the Gators 26-yard line. Jarret Williams dropped back and looked for tight end Brevin Jordan. The tight end had torched the Gators all night, leading his team with 88-yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Williams went deep, to the endzone. It would've been a safeties territory, except Miller had stuck with the tight end. He stuck his hand in like a defensive back and broke up the would be go-ahead score. One play later, Jeremiah Moon tripped up Williams to end the game. It was the turning point for Ventrell Miller and subsequently the Florida Gators linebacker corps. Christian Robinson couldn’t have been prouder. “To see him grow from a guy—not that you don’t trust him—but he needs the reps to get the confidence to go execute, to a guy that can withstand being in the game when the game is on the line to a guy that is a leader in the locker room, holding the guys accountable. That is exactly what this program is about and guys that do things the right way, that work extremely hard. The day Coach Mullen got here, if hard work sounds good to you this is the place for you. That’s Ventrell Miller in a heartbeat.” And now, Ventrell Miller is the heartbeat. With the graduation of David Reese II, there was suddenly a hole at middle linebacker. Robinson and Grantham have worked several guys at the position, something especially important this season with the possibility of guys missing time due to COVID-19. But there’s no question who is in charge. The former soft-spoken Miller, who is now the voice of the corps. "Ventrell Miller's been just great,” praises Robinson. "I've talked to anybody and everybody that will listen that he's done everything we've asked him to do and had a great attitude. Him and…James Houston and Mohamoud Diabate, Lacedrick Brunson, we've had all those guys in my room and I've really enjoyed the effort and energy that they've had. It's been, I think those guys leading the way and having been here have helped a lot of those young guys in terms of Hopper and Jesiah and Wingo getting used to what it's going to be like playing on Saturdays going forward. “The way we really develop it is everybody is responsible for articulating what we’re doing. If I was say who my leader is, the guy I think captain-type material that’s Ventrell Miller.” Added Grantham, “any time you lose a guy like David, who's been a veteran and has played a lot of snaps here, has been a quarterback, that's a situation you've got to really work with. Been very impressed with Ventrell Miller and his leadership role. Ventrell has done a good job of losing a little bit of weight. You can see it athletically the way he's playing. Obviously you've got him, you've got James Houston, and then trying to get some of the young guys in there as well. Really been pleased with Ventrell's leadership at that position.” After losing about 15 pounds during the offseason, he’s taken his game up a step in practice. Of course, that’s partly thanks to tight end Kyle Pitts as well, as Robinson explains. "He’s running and keeping up with Kyle Pitts in practice. That’s what I tell him every day. You’re playing against one of the best tight ends in all of college football. One of the best I’ve been around. You really get to test your ability when you go up against the best. That’s something to me that builds confidence. “That’s only going to make you more confident when you play in places like A&M or up at Tennessee when we go on the road - that confidence level to go execute against the best that we’ll see on a day-to-day basis.” Each practice rep, each game snap and each moment of being pushed by those around him, Ventrell Miller transforms more into the player he described to Christian Robinson two years ago, one that the Florida Gators will need during the 2020 season. And there is no one who feels that more than Ventrell Miller himself. “Definitely my confidence is better," admits Miller. "I feel like the more reps you get, the more time you go out there and play these different teams, just like the more confidence you’ll have, so I’m definitely looking forward to the season and the more things I can accomplish for myself and as a team.”