Dan Mullen discusses ‘electric’ Florida quarterback Emory Jones
After three years of waiting, it is finally quarterback Emory Jones’ turn to lead the Gators offense this season. Florida head coach Dan Mullen is excited about his new quarterback, even if his skill set is a little different from last year’s starter, Kyle Trask.
“One of the things we are always on [Jones about] is consistency of performance, but you also have to play to his strengths,” Mullen said Monday. “He’s going to make some explosive plays out there. You want kind of consistency and efficiency all the time, and that might not be his game every play. He’s going to miss some things here and there, but he’s going to make some explosive things on the other side of it.”
Mullen understands that you cannot try to make a player, especially a quarterback, something that he is not.
“You’re like ‘Boy, we gotta hit that 90% of the time,’ and he might be in the 80% of the time he’s hitting something,” Mullen added. “But there’s other things he can do that is so electric, and that he can create, that you don’t kinda want to box him in.”
After a normal offseason and some time at fall camp, Jones and his wide receivers have improved greatly, and Jones is becoming more comfortable in the pocket.
“Obviously I think his timing with the guys has gotten better, his control and understanding of the offense, his reads I think have gotten much better of where he’s going with the ball,” Mullen said. “His ability to create and make plays is pretty special.”
Wide receiver Jacob Copeland is the only starter returning at the position. He had 23 receptions, 435 yards and three touchdowns in 2020. Trent Whittemore, Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson are expected to be notable contributors this year.
Jones hopes to be the latest success story in Mullen’s vaunted QB history
Jones spent 2019 and 2020 as a backup to 2020 Heisman finalist Trask. Over his three years in Gainesville, he has 613 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception through the air plus 514 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He is a pure dual-threat quarterback, but he has an incredibly powerful arm.
Mullen is widely known for developing quarterbacks, as he has coached Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott, Alex Smith and most recently Trask during his career in some capacity.
The Gators’ 2021 offense will look drastically different from last year’s team led by Trask and first rounders in tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Kadarius Toney. Florida averaged 41.6 points per game, second only to an Alabama team the Gators challenged for the SEC championship.