GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida offensive coordinator Brian Johnson marvels at the season quarterback Kyle Trask is delivering.
At times, Johnson also envies it.
Johnson, himself a record-setting passer at Utah, never threw six touchdowns in a game. Trask already has done it twice this season, including Saturday against Arkansas.
Johnson still recalls coming close during a five-touchdown day in 2008 at San Diego State.
"I've got beef with Coach Lud (Andy Ludwig) about that," Johnson said Monday. "All five in the first half. I don't think I threw a pass in the second half.
"I'm still a little bitter about that, if you can't tell."
Johnson's competitive fire, burning brightly more than a decade later, has helped Trask elevate his play to another level.
Already with a nation-leading 28 touchdowns for the No. 6 Gators (5-1), the redshirt senior is on pace to reset the standard for signal callers at a school that has produced some of the best in college football history.
"He's playing at a really, really high level," Johnson said. "It's really no surprise when you're around him every day."
Trask, who on Tuesday was invited to the Senior Bowl, possesses many of the qualities common to great quarterbacks.
"He is an extremely accurate passer, he's got unbelievable size and strength in the pocket. He is very athletic within the pocket in slight movements that I think get very overlooked," Mullen said. "I think if you're accurate and if you're smart and a good processor of information, you are going to be a really, really good quarterback."
But behind every successful quarterback is a meticulous and committed coach.
Trask is lucky enough to have two in Mullen and Johnson, who collaborate coaching the team's quarterbacks during the week and calling plays on Saturdays.
"Coach Johnson and Coach Mullen just do a great job of letting me know ... what we're doing and what we're up against," Trask said Monday.
Mullen's track record coaching quarterbacks, including Alex Smith, Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott, is well-documented. Johnson, who played for Mullen in 2004 at Utah, continues to emerge from his mentor's shadow, with the help of Trask's continued success.
SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers even floated Johnson's name on Twitter Monday for the head coaching job at South Carolina.
Mullen re-tweeted Rodgers.
Asked if Mullen is trying to get rid of him, Johnson joked, "He probably is."
Mullen might get to call a few more plays if Johnson moved on, but he also would lose his right-hand man and a rising star.
Together at Mississippi State, the two coaches developed Prescott into the SEC's top quarterback and turned two-star recruit Nick Fitzgerald into a record-setting dual-threat QB.
After Mullen arrived in Gainesville following the 2017 season, he immediately lured Johnson away from his job serving as Houston's offensive coordinator. In 2018, Feleipe Franks evolved into a quality SEC quarterback and 10-game winner after a confidence-shattering, four-win season.
Under Mullen and Johnson, Trask has become a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, the sport's top individual honor.
Mullen is reluctant to share his formula for success coaching quarterbacks.
"I've got to whisper when I do this, right. Whisper or something like that," Mullen quipped. "No, there's a lot to be honest with you."
The Gators head coach is, however, quick to share credit for all that goes into identifying the right QB — toughness, leadership, talent — and developing him to play the position by setting forth a clear path to success.
"I think Brian does an unbelievable job of coaching them," Mullen said. "I coach them well and, I don't know, I think we do a pretty good job of coaching those guys. Within each game plan, within the big picture of the offense, with understanding of how to attack defenses and then how to use a specific game plan to attack defenses, then we set up practice to maximize their development."
The painstaking process often leaves coaches little time to relax, appreciate the hard work or truly enjoy the spoils of victory.
Mullen saw a chance during last Saturday night's resounding 63-35 win against Arkansas, summoning his assistants from the coaching booth to the sideline.
"You rarely get that experience — there's been a couple of times here where we've been able to do that," Johnson said Monday. "It was good. We got a chance to get around the guys, and it's such a different energy on the field as opposed to being up in the box."
Johnson first made his name out on the field. These days, he has a front-row seat to Trask's history-making season.
Johnson is enjoying the view.
"He's been exceptional in every part of the game, and guys have done a great job making plays and scoring touchdowns," Johnson said. "It's been really fun to be a part of. Actually still got a long way to go, but he's definitely off to a great start."
