GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- We have heard the term 'Alpha Dog' quite often the last two weeks around Florida.

However, if Feleipe Franks had any say, he would rather be a lion.

"What animal would you rather be," asked the Gators quarterback. "When I look at animals I’d rather be a lion than a cat... When I see or when I hear alpha dog I think of a lion. Someone that’s relentless. Someone that perseveres with whatever gets thrown at (them), somebody that won’t go out without a fight.

"Somebody that just loves to win, can’t lose and just wants to go out there each and every Saturday and be ultimate competitor. That’s what I think of when I think alpha dog, ultimate competitor.”

“I feel like he’s always had that in him," Florida running back Lamical Perine said about Franks." I feel like for you to be an alpha dog you have to go through things, just go through trials and tribulations, you have to have downfalls of being an alpha dog. So he’s been through that and he’s been successful, as well, so he’s not afraid to win and lose.”

"I’ve always thought of myself as an alpha dog but at the same time I think it’s something you acquire more as confidence grows," added Franks. "I think it’s a little bit of both.”

Franks has had his share of tribulations during his first three years at Florida.

As a highly ranked recruit, Franks had to wait his turn before earning the starting position; then once he did win the role, the signal caller put in an underwhelming performance.

The Florida native was attacked on social media relentlessly.

Fast forward to last season, Franks put together one of the best performances by a UF quarterback since Tim Tebow. He threw for 2,457 yards and 31 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

"Just seeing what he went through last year from getting pulled out and Kyle coming in after the game he had." said Josh Hammond. "For him to come back and bounce back in the South Carolina game, being down 17, and to come out with a win definitely shows the poise and composure I was talking about. And just shows the confidence that he has in himself.”

Franks put together some of his best football towards the end of last season and he used that momentum into the offseason.

“I think he’s already improved more during the offseason than he did throughout last season on the field," said Mullen about his second-season starter.

"Me personally, I am more comfortable with his play calls," said Franks. "He's more comfortable with me executing the play calls. And I think that's most important when you have a head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterback and the whole offense on the same page, I think that's what just comes with time and I think that's just what's different between now and last year is the comfortability."

His teammates have noticed a change on the field.

"I realize he does a great job of placing the ball 'cause there are times in practice where I'm right there on the receiver and he makes a really good throw that I can't get to," said cornerback Marco Wilson. "I think that's going to be something that's really important in games when we go against guys who can actually cover really well...you could leave it up to the quarterback to decide who's going to get that ball."

Not just in his play but in his demeanor as well.

“I definitely seen him grow up a lot being a college athlete," said Hammond. "Him going through all of those trials and tribulations I think really prepared him for the situations and adversity that he faced last year. It’s definitely helped him grow and be much more of a leader."

Although Mullen is not quite ready to describe Franks as an 'Alpha Dog,' Franks' teammates had no problem voicing their praise for the quarterback's leadership qualities.

“Just a guy that we just always look to when we’re in a moment where we’re down," said Lamical Perine. "He’s just a guy always is going to make sure everybody’s up. He’s a high-intensity guy gives it his all all the time. He’s not a phony. He’s not somebody that just doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He’s a guy who’s been in this program three or four years and he’s been productive.”

Franks has always had the physical tools, however, it appears that the mental side of his game is catching up.

"It is the big picture of the quarterback," said Mullen. "It’s every intangible that comes with that. How do you manage the game? Your decision making, your leadership, your mental and physical toughness. All of those are aspects of things at the quarterback position that I think he’s taking huge strides at more than he’s completing a higher percentage of his passes. I’ve seen him do all the off the field stuff at a much, much higher level. It’s greater improvement from January to now than all of last season. With the leadership, we’ll see how he’s going to handle the highs and lows and the adversity that we’re going to face whether it’s adversity of success or adversity of defeat and how we handle all of that in between.”

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