#danmullen

“When you build a team, you’re not just coaching players — you’re shaping leaders.” Coach Dan Mullen joins A MoMent of Xen to talk about UNLV’s next era, team identity, and the power of player-led culture. Watch full episode on Your Home TV → https://www.yourhometv.com/watch/video/watch/2716?src=search

“Culture over hype.” Coach Dan Mullen joins A Moment of Xen to unpack what makes a winning program — identity, discipline, and player-led leadership. A grounded talk about mindset, accountability, and standards that outlast trends. 🎯 For the complete episode, tune in to yourhometv.com

As the state of Florida has quickly become one of a few major hot spots for COVID-19 across the nation with cases rising by the day, the Florida Gators on Tuesday revealed that 11 of their student-athletes have tested positive for the coronavirus since April. “Dating back to April, we’ve had a total of 11 student-athletes from several of our teams test positive,” said Florida’s Steve McClain. “As we’ve said before, we will have positive tests and with guidance from UF Health, we feel we are well positioned to manage those cases.” The Gators are not releasing facts and figures about their coronavirus testing procedures, neither how many have been conducted nor how many new positives were found since players returned to campus earlier this month. However, on June 9, a story on the team’s website noted that “only two UF athletes have tested positive for the virus with both of those instances occurring during quarantine.” Florida is utilizing tracing and mitigation procedures for all athletes who test positive. The only other data we have from the Gators at this time is that the first 80 returned tests out of 87 conducted when football players returned to campus for voluntary workouts were negative for the coronavirus. Florida is using the football team’s Indoor Practice facility as an all-encompassing training hub for athletes on campus, converting the 88,000-square foot facility to include “weights, equipment and training stations” near the large garage doors to maximize air circulation in the facility and around the athletes. After passing a COVID-19 tests (results take approximately 36 hours), athletes undergo routine physical exams, including temperature screenings and questionnaires. Limited numbers of athletes are allowed in the facility and all must arrive dressed with no locker rooms available. Head coach Dan Mullen said in a Zoom conference last week that he is “proud” that the players and staff are doing the best they can to socially distance and is confident in the plans created by the medical staff to combat COVID-19. The revelation of the 11 positive tests for Gators athletes comes on the heels of multiple announcements and reports last week, including Clemson sharing that 23 players had tested positive and LSU reportedly having 30 players in quarantine for coronavirus concerns. The NCAA in May allowed college football teams to begin voluntary workouts on June 1 with most programs having players report on June 8. Last week, it approved a six-week calendar to start the 2020 season on time with team workouts beginning July 13, walkthroughs starting July 24 and practice allowed to commence on Aug. 7. Should there be no delays to the preseason schedule due to the coronavirus, Florida will open the 2020 season on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Eastern Washington. The first three games of the season will be played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. #Covid19 #DanMullen

With one year of collegiate eligibility remaining, former Florida Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks decided after the 2019 season that he would choose to play elsewhere. Monday night, Franks made his transfer destination official when he announced on Instagram that he will continue his career with the Arkansas Razorbacks. The move is a curious one for Franks considering he is not only staying inside the SEC but moving to a team that just completed a 2-10 (0-8 SEC) season and hired an offensive line coach in Sam Pittman as its head coach. It is unknown how many suitors there ultimately were for Franks’ services, but considering this is his last season before he presumably hopes to make it in the NFL, he is putting a lot of eggs in the basket of offensive coordinator Kendall Briles To be fair, Briles did help FAU’s offense win the program a Conference USA championship in 2017, and he again succeeded at Houston in 2018. But he had a rough go of it at Florida State under Willie Taggart, and the Arkansas playmaking talent is not necessarily next-level. After his injury, Franks was replaced as Florida’s starter this year by Kyle Trask, who became the first Gators quarterback since Tim Tebow to throw for 300+ yards and 3+ touchdowns in three or more games in a single season. The rising redshirt senior is expected to return as the starter in 2020, though rising redshirt sophomore Emory Jones will provide immense competition this spring. No matter who starts next season, both will likely see significant action throughout the year. This officially marks the end of a turbulent career for Franks at Florida. A heavily-recruited four-star prospect who was not projected to start until his third year with the program, injury thrust Franks into action as a redshirt freshman in 2017. He completed only 54.6 percent of his passes and posted nine touchdowns to eight interceptions, losing six straight games late in the season. The hiring of head coach Dan Mullen was expected to be a boon for Franks in 2018, and after he got off to a rocky start that led to fans calling for his ouster as the team’s starter, he recovered to put together a tremendous end to the season. Franks started the year 6-1 with two top 25 victories but did not look particularly good in those games. Consecutive bad losses to Georgia and Missouri (the latter on homecoming) led to Mullen benching Franks for Trask. However, Trask suffered a season-ending foot injury just a couple days later in practice, pushing Franks back into the starting role. Franks responded by leading a come-from-behind win against South Carolina that week. He infamously “sushed” the crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with a finger to his lips twice in that game, which bothered some but to most showed a renewed confidence and mindset. That carried over to Florida’s final three games of the season where it put forth dominant efforts. The Gators outscored their last three opponents 145-39, ending a seven-game losing streak to Florida State and blasting Michigan in the Peach Bowl. Franks completed 63.2 percent of his passes and scored nine total touchdowns with no interceptions in those games. He ended the year with 31 total touchdowns and six picks, eye-popping totals and the best Florida had seen since Tebow. The 2019 season started well enough for Franks as he was completing 76.1 percent of his passes and won his first two games, but he committed two costly turnovers in the opener against Miami and was struggling mightily on the road at Kentucky in Game 3 before suffering his season-ending injury. Trask entered that game and led the Gators to 19 unanswered points on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. Trask went on to complete 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,941 yards, 29 total touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. After getting over some fumbling issues in his first few games, Trask was exceedingly careful and commanding with the ball. His only losses came by a total of 21 points to two of the top four teams in the nation (LSU on the road, Georgia at a neutral site), and he passed for 282+ yards in six of his 10 starts while also scoring 3+ total touchdowns in five of 10 games. A return to Florida for Franks would likely have been a disaster. Not only does he have to continue his rehabilitation, which would have put him behind the 8-ball during spring practice, Franks would have needed to beat out one quarterback who won over the fan base and another who is clearly the future of the program. Even if Franks did somehow win the job, he would have been on an exceedingly short leash, which could have led to a wasted season in his final year of eligibility. Franks will be remembered as having one of the most contentious careers in program history considering the heights of his highs and the depths of his lows. His last gesture as a member of the program was a selfless one that will help the Gators long term as his quick departure before Orange Bowl practice and the early signing period — not to mention spring practice — cleared up the quarterback picture for 2020 and likely relaxed any potential angst Jones would’ve had about the bodies involved in a competition next season. #FeleipeFranks #ArkansasRazorbacks #DanMullen

#gogators #universityofflorida #danmullen #orangeandblue #gatorsfootball #orangebowl https://www.instagram.com/p/B6t8R8AhqvN/?igshid=1af116qe47hj4

Though it is a New Year’s Six bowl game, it is tough not to feel as if the 2019 Orange Bowl has been a bit overlooked. Perhaps it is because the No. 9 Florida Gators enter as a 14.5-point favorite. Maybe it is due to the No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers being a fringe top 25 team that many believe was only ranked to give the ACC a “quality” team in its featured bowl game. Truthfully, it’s probably because it is taking place two days after the College Football Playoff semifinals and two days before the highly-anticipated New Year’s Day games. Regardless of the reason, Florida and Virginia have plenty on the line Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. In front of what should be a friendly crowd, the Gators (10-2) are looking to finish with 11 wins for the first time since 2012. In between, they have suffered a pair of four-win seasons and seen two coaching changes over the six years that followed. They have also begun a resurgence under head coach Dan Mullen. The Wahoos do not have the same championship-caliber football pedigree as their opponent but are looking to build one under fourth-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who has improved Virginia by 2+ wins in each of his prior three seasons. A 10th win in 2019 would continue that trend and set the stage for what could be a tremendous 2020. And that’s where these teams have their most significant similarity. Successful 2019s already seem to be in the rear-view mirror. Florida sees the Orange Bowl as an opportunity to prove their positive vibes justified. “Obviously, you always want to finish the season on a win and on a high note,” Mullen said. “… When you head into an offseason, you have the opportunity to get a win over a top-25 team … I think that helps catapult you into the next season on a positive note. We don’t get to play again until September. That’s a long time to sit around.” “I think a win is real important. The number one object is to win the game,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham agreed. “… Number one, it allows us to get the 11th win of the season. It allows us to finish the season off the right way. But also it creates energy and excitement moving forward. … “After the Michigan win, there was a lot of confidence because of what we had done in that bowl game propelling us into the offseason. I think it sets up your offseason the right way. I think it creates energy moving forward. I think it gives a sense of pride in the sense you know you’ve accomplished something, and the ability to win 21 games over the past two years would be something I think is pretty good.” With their only losses to the No. 1 team in the nation (LSU) and the SEC East champions (No. 5 Georgia), the Gators have as good a resume as anyone in the nation not in the CFP. Florida also has the opportunity to finish inside the top 10 in consecutive seasons for the first time in a decade (2008-09). “We had two top-10 years, back to back, and next step is a championship. I feel like a championship is coming soon,” said senior linebacker David Reese III. “[It] just shows you how hard we worked just for one extra win [this year]. Next thing you know, if we get one extra win to next year, we’re contenders in the playoffs.” “Just knowing how much the program has been through the last two, three years, and just with coaching changes, adversity, being 4-7 to now, we’ve got a lot of guys that understand the program coming in,” said senior running back Lamical Perine. “Just knowing what Coach Mullen expects, having two 10-win seasons back to back, that’s a big statement. [There’s] more to come.” The next step for the Gators coming off consecutive New Year’s Six bowls and 20 or 21 wins in two seasons would indeed be the College Football Playoff. LSU this year became the third SEC program to find a spot in the four-team field over the six-year history of the event. Will Florida be the fourth in 2020? “I think it’s headed in the right direction,” said senior wide receiver Josh Hammond of the program as a whole. “You can see the national prominence that the Florida Gators have at the moment, back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls, 10-win season, getting top recruits in the recruiting game. It’s definitely headed in the right direction. I think it’ll be within the playoffs in the next couple years, and as long as they continue to work hard, I think they’ll be fine.” Redshirt senior WR Van Jefferson, who transferred in as one of Mullen’s key pickups ahead of the 2018 season, agrees with his position-mate. “I think it’s [trending] up. I think Coach Mullen came in and did a great job with the program,” he said. “It’s only going to get better. … [The returning players] have a good understanding of what the Gator standard is, so I think the guys leading that team [next year will help it] go up from here.” Those are certainly the aspirations the Gators should have 12 months from now — to be competing for a national championship against the best teams in the nation. Is it possible? That depends on your outlook for Florida football and the rest of the SEC. Florida will bring back a quarterback it has true confidence in for the first time in a decade with redshirt junior Kyle Trask returning for his final season. It will also have one of the top pass-catching weapons in the country with sophomore tight end Kyle Pitts only expected to become even more dominant as he works with Trask. However, the Gators are going to be thin at running back, working with a young group of wide receivers (after the veterans the stirred the drink in 2019 depart) and still hoping that their offensive line — which contributed to many of the offense’s problems this season — develops into a strong unit. Defensively, Florida will see both starting defensive ends, its primary linebacker and at least its No. 1 cornerback in junior CJ Henderson off a unit that was strong all season despite some struggles largely due to injury. Will redshirt sophomore CB Marco Wilson return. Does freshman defensive back Kaiir Elam breakout in the Orange Bowl as so many Gators at his position have in the postseason over the years? There’s still a lot of questions to answer about the defense going into the offseason. The best news for Florida — whether it reaches its championship goal in 2020 or not — is that the tide appears to have turned with this program. It was clearly the best team in the Sunshine State in 2019, has improved (but not yet fully strengthened) its recruiting acumen and is now a true threat to unseat Georgia as the power of the SEC East. Perhaps even more importantly, it has Gators of present, future and past believing in what’s ahead. “There was a period of time a few years ago when it seemed like the program had lost that spark — that edge that separated us,” explained former CB Joe Haden, who starred in the 2009 BCS Championship Game (played at the same stadium as Monday night’s Orange Bowl) in an entry for The Players Tribune. “And that’s why I was so happy when Coach Mullen came back to the program, because he knows the level we should be playing at. And he’s put in the work to get us right back there. “I see it. It’s not something that happens all at once — of course not. This is a process, a step-by-step goal that everybody in the program works toward. And that’s why this game matters so much. This is the step that propels us into next season with the right momentum and mentality. “Right now, no other program in the state can touch us. That’s how it should be. But that’s not enough. We all know that. When the Gators are going, when we’re out there playing at our absolute best, there’s no team in the nation that can touch this program.” #OrangeBowl #DanMullen #DavidReese

The kids and I are going to enjoy the game in #theswamp on Saturday. Gotta stay the course and take all the games serious. Will also become a Mizzou fan Saturday when they take on the dawggies. #GoGators #universityofflorida #danmullen #orangeandblue #gators #floridagatorsfootball https://www.instagram.com/p/B4l2ZowhTsW/?igshid=1bpozmfspq3m4

3:30pm tomorrow on CBS! Go Gators! Let's chomp them dawgs! #gogators #universityofflorida #danmullen #floridagatorsfootball #orangeandblue #worldslargestoutdoorcocktailparty https://www.instagram.com/p/B4WJWj1BnDY/?igshid=cqizwnqioqje