GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gators football coach Dan Mullen is like a kid waiting for Christmas morning and Friday he gets to open his present.
"I'm excited to get out there (practice fields) and start doing some football," Mullen said at Wednesday's spring football press conference. "I want to see our players reaction, that's a big part to me, and hopefully they are excited to get out there."
Mullen and the Gators start spring practice Friday afternoon at 4:25 p.m. and it will be the first of two practices open to the public. Saturday's practice will also be open to the public and it begins at 12:20 p.m.
Mullen and fans alike will be looking for a quarterback to take the lead in the spring.
"That's my position of comfort," Mullen said. "I will spend a lot of time with the quarterbacks."
Feleipe Franks returns from an up and down season last year that saw him benched late in the year.
"It's a breath of fresh air with a new coaching staff," Franks said. "Close the book on last season. It's a good thing for me and the team. It's a sigh of relief in the building knowing we have a new start."
No matter who the quarterback is on opening day one thing is for sure, Gator fans are only happy when the offense is putting up big numbers. Mullen is well aware of the expectations having been the Gators offensive coordinator from 2005-2008.
"If we didn't score 30 by halftime people were telling me we were No. 1 with different fingers."