Gators Draft Prospects Praise Direction of Program Under Dan Mullen
MOBILE, Ala -- In 2019, the annual Senior Bowl went without a Gator on the roster for the first time since 2015.
Following a second year of playing under head coach Dan Mullen, five Gators found themselves competing at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in front of hundreds of NFL scouts and personnel, in running back Lamical Perine, wide receivers Van Jefferson and Tyrie Cleveland, and defensive ends Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga.
And that isn't to mention the three that competed in St. Petersburg during the East-West Shrine Bowl: Wide receivers Freddie Swain and Josh Hammond, and punter Tommy Townsend.
"Coming from the University of Florida, a lot of great players come out of that university," Cleveland told GatorMaven following Senior Bowl practice. "The way Dan Mullen changed that program around, all the guys that's here, five guys, I think two transfers came in, three that, we've been here since 2016.
"Just listening to the culture changes, just listen to the gameplan, just trying to prepare and get better every day. Throughout our career we kept working, kept competing and kept working, and now we're here."
Cleveland, a four-year veteran of the program who saw back-to-back New Year's Six Bowls following a 4-7 record in 2017, isn't the only player to acknowledge the progress the team's development has made under Mullen.
Compared to the familiar face in the room in Cleveland, a first-year Gator noted the growth as well.
"For us to have five guys here is huge," Greenard said during Senior Bowl media day. "It shows how much dedication they put into it. The guys who they recruit at Florida and what they think of them, it shows their character."
Greenard perhaps ends up as one of the key examples of Florida's culture change since Mullen took over as head coach, specifically when it comes to finding diamonds in the rough and developing those players into serious NFL Draft prospects.
Entering his senior season as a defensive end at Lousiville with high hopes, Greenard broke his wrist early in the Cardinals' season-opening game and missed the remainder of the season.
In need of a band-aid at the BUCK position following the early departure of Jachai Polite entering 2019, Florida brought in Greenard as a graduate transfer, given his familiarity of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham from their shared time at Louisville, and he blew expectations out of the water - collecting 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss en route to a Senior Bowl invitation.
Florida's representation in the Senior and Shrine Bowls by players like Greenard proves Mullen's ability to develop players on the fly and turn them into productive draft prospects.
"Everything is going in the right direction for us," Perine spoke of Mullen's impact.
"He does a great job with the program, he holds the guys accountable, owning that Gator Standard. He just does a great job with everything, has us working hard for him, and everyone trusts and believes in the process that he has going on."
Another aspect displaying the positive direction that Mullen is leading the program in is the support that each player shows for one another. The team has bought into Mullen's "team-first" approach and it's led each prospect to where they are.
"Man, it's amazing. Seeing Freddie and Josh last week, they made some splash plays down there at the East-West, so I was happy for those guys," Jefferson spoke of his teammates. "And then Tyrie got invited to the Senior Bowl... my dawg is here, so it's just got the week much better."
Mullen has made it clear that, with belief in his development plan and belief in the team he is building, he thinks this team is putting itself in a position to compete for SEC and national championships.
Those will become the expectations for Florida in the near-to-immediate future, but to send eight draft prospects to all-star games to end the second year of a total program rebuild marks incredible progress that the team is buying into - with each other.
"I'm very happy for them," continued Greenard. "I'm happy to be here, happy to be here with all of them and enjoy this experience with them."
