The Florida contingent made their appearance at SEC Media Days on Tuesday as Dan Mullen was joined by Cece Jefferson, Martez Ivey and David Reese from Atlanta.

Here are some highlights of the quotes provided by the players on the Gator roster:

Junior linebacker David Reese II

On noticing changes under Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham…

“I feel like as a defense, we became more aggressive. We got a lot of different systems being a 3-4 now. We are a multi-D team, so we also run a 4-3, but we became more aggressive and we look forward to getting after the quarterback.”

On the rivalry with LSU…

“The LSU game means a lot to me. I came into the rivalry at a high point, and that game got us to the SEC Championship my freshman year. That was an unforgettable game, probably my favorite game of all time. Last year they got the upper hand, but I am looking forward to this year.”

On how his leadership as evolved since stepping up as a leader last year…

“I just have been the same person. I am a guy that is going to do his best day in and day out. I am going to work hard and give it all I got. I became more vocal after that game, and having a bigger presence.”

On the energy and enthusiasm of the new coaching staff…

“It is definitely contagious. It starts with our strength staff. Coach Savage has been doing a great job of keeping the energy for our program and making sure we work as hard as we can, day in and day out. That has been the biggest difference since I have been here.”

Senior offensive lineman Martez Ivey

On coming back after a 4-7 season…
“You know, going 4-7 in a season left a bad taste in my mouth, and I don’t want my freshmen teammates to feel how I felt. When people ask how my last year went, I want to say it left a good taste in my mouth.”

On how the strength and conditioning program has changed from last year and how it will help the team this fall…

“We could tell that people were stronger than us, and I don’t want to say that it was intimidating, but it just made me ask why. So getting a new staff has helped, and we knew that it would be changed around. I have a feeling that we will be more physical up front, and we will be able to take control of the game more and have more strength more speed and more power.”

On getting to play another year with his fellow offensive linemen…

“You know, it adds chemistry, and they all have played for a while and all have experience. It’s really nothing new, other than working on techniques. A lot of the defense is very much ready for the season, and I’m excited and can’t wait.”

On describing what Head Coach Dan Mullen has brought to the team as well as the program…

“He brought competition to the program. I feel like that is what we were really lacking for a while. Now that he has come to the program, everything we do we compete, and that is what makes football fun. You know competing is what makes you better, and competition is definitely the biggest thing he has brought to the program.”

Senior defensive lineman Cece Jefferson

On the vibe when Head Coach Dan Mullen arrived…

“Oh yeah, it’s a great vibe, it’s definitely different. We have a different staff now that brings attack energy every day that you have no choice but to feed off of. What you see is what you get with that staff. With this short period I have been around them, so far so good. I can’t complain, it’s one of the best decisions of my life coming back to school and being with this staff.”

On the differences with the new coaching staff…

“Energy level. There is no moping – it’s get up and move. Coach Savage always says if you can do it, take initiative. That’s the motto that we live by. Get it done, attack everything as hard as you can.”

On the vibe of the new staff…

“I go back to what I said earlier. The vibe and the energy is “there is a new sheriff in town,” and you can tell that everyone is buying in. Just the way we operate, I see guys doing things that I wouldn’t have seen them doing back in the day. They are doing it now, just the little things like that, that I can tell that the team is buying into what they are saying.”

On how motivating last year’s record of 4-7 is for this season…

“Sheesh, that’s extremely motivating. Especially at the University of Florida. Pretty sure it’s motivating everywhere, but here, we are used to crystal balls and SEC Championships, playing in big games. It’s extremely motivating, I was in an interview earlier, and they mentioned that ever since 2007, Florida has been top 10 in defense. It dawned on me that I was part of that defense that let it slip. That just doesn’t sit well, and I find it extremely motivating.”

On coming back…

“It is a great way to come back and end my career. After the season, I took a lot of things into consideration, like deciding whether or not to go into the NFL, and ultimately I wasn’t. Coming back was a great decision and then coming back with this staff made it that much better. Every day is something new, every day is a new way to challenge us and it make us that much better.”