Mullen, Several Gators Named Semifinalists for National Awards

The Gators are getting some national recognition for their performance in 2019.

As the 2019 college football season begins to come to a close, notices of awards have started getting sent out.

And the Florida Gators have received multiple.

Head coach Dan Mullen, quarterback Kyle Trask, and tight end Kyle Pitts have all been named semifinalists for multiple end of the season awards.

Mullen, in his second year as Florida's head coach, was named one of 22 semifinalists for the George Munger Coach of the Year award, sponsored and voted on by the Maxwell Football Club. 

Likely on his way to a second New Year's Six Bowl in as many years since taking the Florida head coaching job, considering the upheaval that the program required from previous head coaching tenures, Mullen figures to be an obvious candidate.

The list of semifinalists for the George Munger award will be trimmed down to three in December, with the winner being announced on December 29th. 

Trask, who became Florida's starting quarterback in week four following Feleipe Franks' season-ending dislocated ankle, has been nominated for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose award as a semifinalist. 

The winner of the Earl Campbell award will be announced on January 15th, 2020, and the selection committee "will be comprised of Texas-based journalists and college football dignitaries and, in subsequent years, each of the all-time winners," according to the award's website.

The redshirt junior quarterback has exceeded all expectations after filling in for Franks while Florida has climbed to a 9-2 record, which landed him on the shortlist among the nation's top collegiate offensive players. Trask has completed 66.8% of his passes for 2293 yards, 21 touchdowns, and thrown only six interceptions in 10 games.

Pitts was named to the top-20 player watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, the only tight end to make the list. The award will be announced on January 18th, 2020, and is voted on by all FBS head coaches and sports information directors.

As a sophomore, Pitts has emerged as one of the most dominant playmakers in college football. He ranks in the top five among tight ends nationwide in receptions (46), yards (566), and touchdowns (5).