When COVID-19 hit around this time last year, every plan for the months to come went out the window.
Florida had plans to get spring practice underway and a summer full of conditioning and recruiting before fall camp.
Instead, there was no spring, some players had to use extension cords as makeshift jump ropes for home workouts, and not a single recruit stepped foot on a college campus. And come fall, everyone just had to make the best of what they had under the circumstances.
When 2021 rolled around, things still weren’t quite back to normal, but it felt like a fresh start.
For a multitude of reasons, Dan Mullen chose to push Florida’s spring practice schedule up by a month this year. The accelerated schedule will allow more time to watch film between now and fall and more time for recovery from injuries. On top of that, if things were to shut down again today, Florida would have gotten in a spring unlike most programs around the country.
As the Gators enter their final week of practice, Mullen is already looking forward to the next several months. He stressed that the summer ahead will be key for the entire team, but for the quarterbacks in particular.
“The end of spring ball to the start of training camp is one of the most developmental times for the quarterback,” Mullen said. “And I’m not allowed to be with him for that time on the field. What they do and how they’re able to handle it is critical.”
But now Emory Jones, Anthony Richardson and the rest of Florida’s young quarterbacks will go almost a full month longer than usual without Mullen’s on-field coaching.
He is not concerned about that though, because he and his assistants are still able to meet with them, and their progression in the film room is as crucial as anything during this time.
Even when things are fully back to normal, kicking off spring in February could become routine in Gainesville.
“It’s something we might continue to do it the future,” Mullen said. “Because I know guys learn more watching themselves. It’s one thing, I can sit there with the quarterbacks and constantly show them Kyle Trask and I can go back and just through the years show other quarterbacks. It’s easier for them and guys are more in tune watching themselves. So now we have a lot of film of them watching themselves going forward because now we’ve been through spring practice.”
Mullen has to start looking ahead for recruiting purposes as well. The widespread belief right now is that the NCAA will lift visitation restrictions by June.
But what does that mean?
Will there be a limited number of players allowed on campus at a time? Can teams host camps? Will there still be a typical summer dead period? Not even Mullen knows for sure.
What he does know is when that time finally comes, things are going to get crazy.
“There will be a mad rush as soon as that happens,” he said. “That’s something we have to be smart and careful about with COVID to avoid a spike, to avoid issues within our team when there’s this mad rush of kids trying to get to every campus as fast as possible.”
With so much uncertainty, Mullen and his staff will at least be able to fully shift attention to recruiting come June. While other programs are still cutting up film and doing spring evaluations, Florida has the next two months to get all of that out of the way without neglecting one or the other.
And during that time, the players will be handed over to Nick Savage to work his summer magic.
“When all the coaches aren’t around, it’s such a huge time,” Mullen said. “Summer is such a critical time for the strength coach and his control on the team.”
Mullen entered 2021 with intention to optimize every single moment before September 4. That is how it has to be now, as 2020 taught the world that nothing is guaranteed.
After months of preparation, the Gators are holding out hope to be rewarded with Florida faithful 90,000 deep next time they run out of the tunnel.
“Hopefully we’re able to get back to some normalcy in the fall when we hit the field again,” Mullen said. “And I think all the Gator Nation is going to be excited … They’re desperate to get back into the stadium and to go experience Saturdays in The Swamp. And so, hopefully through all the precautions and everything going on we’re able to stay safe and we’re able to fill the stadium this fall.”