Florida has the herculean task of replacing the most prolific passer in school history (statistically speaking) in Kyle Trask. Likely new starter Emory Jones has never started a game with UF, but he’s seen a healthy amount of action during the last two seasons as Trask’s backup, including extended time in the Cotton Bowl loss to Oklahoma.
There are certainly still some things Jones needs to pick up, but coach Dan Mullen said he’s been pleased with his approach toward learning, according to 247Sports’ Thomas Goldkamp.
“As you go through different things with him, I just think he’s approached everything very well,” Mullen said. “But he’s approached things great since he’s been here. Always been a guy that’s open, learning, willing to adapt, learn how to adjust to the role he’s in, learn how to grow and continue to grow through different roles. I think he’s been able to do a really good job of that.”
Mullen said he’s been pleased with how much Jones has retained from spring practice. The focus now is on Jones comfort with the complexity of the offense and getting him to the point where he can run it freely.
“He obviously has a really good grasp of the offense, been around a couple of years,” Mullen said. “I think it’s really getting into more of how to function, how to use the offense, constantly on accuracy, balance, making all his different types of throws that he needs to make and then his comfort level of how to make plays and when to make plays.
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“We limit some of that in practice. You have the freedom to scramble today. There will be days where I won’t give him that freedom, you have got to stand in the pocket. Then you actually got to coach beyond that and say, ‘Hey, I hope you would have scrambled in that situation, because there was a huge running lane and go take advantage of it. We give him a lot of different things.”
Mullen again reiterated that he’s pleased with Jones grasp of the offense, which is certainly encouraging for Gators fans. The redshirt junior quarterback has appeared in 24 games, going 55 of 86 passing for 613 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. On the ground, he has 514 yards and six touchdowns on 92 carries.
Jones has been productive when given the opportunity, but now he’ll have to do it with a level of consistency he hasn’t previously been asked to reach. But it seems Mullen is confident that his fourth-year quarterback is prepared for the challenge.
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