GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 2021 Florida Gators offense is going to be similar to Dan Mullen’s previous attacks, yet also quite a bit different.
Mullen hopes while the ensemble changes, the song remains the same.
The Gators put up points to the tune of 41.6 per game during 11 league contests — the most during Mullen’s dozen seasons as an SEC head coach. UF’s 41 plays of 30 yards or longer — also a Mullen personal best — were more than even Alabama’s national title-winning attack.
Asked if his new offense can keep pace, Mullen said, “Let’s hope so. Let’s hope so. You need to have explosive plays to be successful.”
Yet, Mullen remains confident the 2021 Gators can produce their share of offensive fireworks, albeit with a shifting approach.
Players change, their strengths are highlighted and the scheme adapts around them.
The one constant is Mullen. The 48-year-old has been one of college football’s offensive masterminds for the better part of two decades and is coming off his most productive season to kick off decade No. 3.
The 2020 Gators limped to the finish, capped by a 35-point flop against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, but were on a record-setting pace much of the season.
Now, Mullen has to rewrite the script with a new cast of characters and make them stars, a notion that would intimidate a coach with less confidence or a lesser track record.
“Every year it’s been a little bit different, so this year it’ll be a little different again,” Mullen said Monday. “I’m sure there’d be a lot of things that you recognize, a lot of things, and then some things that are going to be a little bit different for us. But there’ll be a lot of similarities to what we’ve done.
“We’re not changing a whole lot.”
Change also is inevitable in college football.
Quarterback Kyle Trask and UF’s top three receivers in 2020, including All-America tight end Kyle Pitts, are preparing for the NFL. Meanwhile, the Gators are recalibrating and — Mullen hopes — reloading for next season.
“It’ll be different,” Mullen said. “Be some different playmakers, a bunch of guys left. But there’s a bunch of explosive guys that are here and so what we’re gonna do is continue to work to put them in the best position.”
The final stretch of spring practices, which ends March 20, will be critical to the direction of the Gators’ offense.
“Big two weeks for us,” Mullen said. “You’re going to start cutting down on installation and really letting the guys go play, and we got to do a great job of evaluating what guys do well, what we want to keep, what we want to get rid of and what direction we’re continuing to move forward.”
Redshirt junior quarterback Emory Jones will be leading the way.
Jones has waited his turn since he arrived on campus in January 2018, the plum of Mullen’s first UF recruiting class. The 20-year-old QB now gets his chance while following in the footsteps of the record-setting Trask, who led the nation with 43 touchdown throws and set a school mark with 4,238 passing yards.
Jones is unlikely to match Trask’s passing prowess or production. Jones also will bring a twist to the offense his predecessor did not, even through the air, leading Mullen to make his boldest statement of the offseason.
“There’s a lot of throws that Emory can make that Kyle couldn’t make,” Mullen said. “That’ll allow us to tweak and change some things within the scheme.”
Mullen said Jones has superior arm strength to Trask, which could open some opportunities down the field. Trask more relied on pinpoint accuracy, deft touch and quick decision-making to become a Heisman finalist.
Jones is still learning and gaining experience to become a consistent, confident pocket passer. As a runner, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Georgian is a natural, making him a good fit for whatever Mullen cooks up.
“His athleticism, not just talking about quarterback runs, but his athleticism to scramble, extend plays and see things the defense really can’t account for because it’s kind of out of the scheme,” Mullen said, “that’s a huge plus that he brings to the table.”
