Paul Finebaum has seen the kind of move Dan Mullen is doing with Florida and his quarterbacks before, but there are reasons why.

As fans increasingly clamor for backup QB Anthony Richardson to play a more prominent role in the offense, and likely start, Mullen has so far pumped the brakes on that move and stuck with incumbent starter Emory Jones.

The Gators play host to Alabama this week in the 3:30 p.m. ET game on CBS.

During his regular weekly appearance on WJOX in Birmingham, Alabama on “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning,” Finebaum gave an explanation.

“I don’t think he wants to be mobbed into it by fans and social media, Greg,” Finebaum said. “We use conventional wisdom in these situations where you want the veteran to start. College football is a little different, you’re seeing, both college football and the NFL you’re seeing that go out the window very quickly. You saw that yesterday in the NFL to say the least. I think he knows Richardson is capable of a great deal, but I’m still not sure he wants to throw him out there on the first play next Saturday in the Swamp. I’m not sure I would either. I would give Emory another opportunity and see what he looks like against the best defense in the country, one of the 2 or 3 best defenses in the country.”