Florida begins the first spring practice of the Dan Mullen era this week in Gainesville with the first two sessions being open to the public.

The first practice is scheduled to take place Friday, March 16 at 4:15 p.m. with the second practice taking place the following day, Saturday, March 17 at 11:40 a.m. Both are set to be held at the Sanders Practice Fields.

Before the Gators begin spring practice, Mullen met with local media on Tuesday to discuss the state of the program heading into the spring.

Here are the highlights from his latest media availability:

  • POSITION CHANGES: I don’t think so. I don’t know where everyone was. I know where they will be… There may be some changes from where they were before.
  • OUT FOR SPRING: RB Malik Davis, DL Keivonnis Davis
  • LIMITED FOR SPRING: DL Kyree Campbell, OL Brett Heggie
  • Thoughts on QB depth chart? Is that something you will be looking to accomplish? I don’t worry about that — in spring. Learn how to play hard, make sure guys understand what effort is… We have 25 practice before we have to play a game.
  • How much time will you spend with the QBs? A lot. That’s my position of comfort… I will spend a lot of time with the quarterbacks.
  • How soon do you want to have your offense installed? We’ll probably be pretty aggressive (with that). We have several different things we can run out of one formation or motion and we may only teach one at a time (to start that process).
  • How much have you evaluated the guys here? We’ve evaluated a little bit of what they’ve done. We have not done write-ups on every player. We’ve focused on glaring issues… I don’t want to prejudge people because you don’t know what they were asked to do.
  • On his speaking tour around Florida: (Noticed) the passion and the energy. Our fan base loves football and loves winning… I know the passion and the love of football that it’s important for us to get back. There’s a lot of excitement.
  • What are your expectations this spring? I know they will play hard — because that’s not an option… There’s been no pushback based on what we’ve asked them to do so far. There have been plenty of gains in the weight room thanks to the embracing of what we’ve asked of them.
  • Why are the first practices open? What was the thought process there? I want our fans to be excited. To be able to see the first two practices should cause some excitement. I want to help (the media), too… We want to keep the excitement around the program.
  • Thoughts on Feleipe Franks being named to the Leadership Council? It says they believe in him. We do it based on class, on position, etc. I think for him, it shows that he is on the right path based on his actions. The team believes in him as a leader. He’s doing things the right way.
  • What have you seen of Florida while at Mississippi State? I didn’t get to watch much specifics. My first two years (at MSU), we played Florida… Never really had to prepare for them… One thing, I haven’t been here, I would have a pretty good guess on what the fans thought… If we didn’t score 30 by halftime, people were telling me I’m #1 with different fingers.
  • What are your most memorable moments during your time at Florida? We just enjoyed it. It was a different time in my career… I got married here… Winning in football helped, we had two national titles and two so-so years but I enjoyed living here. I really did… The success we had was fun.
  • Any players stood out so far in winter conditioning? I don’t know that there’s anyone that jumps out individually. Overall, I’ve been pleased. The negatives jump out at me more. When I see something I don’t like, which hasn’t happened much, I get on that immediately… The freshmen all know what they are getting in to, because I signed them. They knew the standard and they have responded nicely, all of them.
  • Keivonnis Davis’ status? He is back with the team (was suspended following credit card scandal last year).