HOOVER, Ala..-- As the cameras and recorders turned off, Feleipe Franks still remained behind to have a conversation with the Florida beat writers.

"You look spiffy," Franks joked with one writer.

It is safe to say that Franks and the media have had a hot and cold relationship in Gainesville. The signal caller is known for a few defensive comebacks or two in his two seasons as the Florida quarterback, however, this is a new Feleipe Franks.

On Monday we saw a quarterback who is comfortable in his own skin; a quarterback that stands tall in front of dozens of cameras, recorders and media members, for four hours; and a quarterback that has matured into a leader.

“I had to get out of my comfort zone stepping into the University of Florida that comes with playing the quarterback position," Franks told reporters at SEC Media Days about how he has changed. "Getting out of your comfort zone being open to everybody else. I think that’s what I’ve been doing a better job at. Telling people that I am open to you; everything I have is open to you at the same time. You just have that mutual respect in the locker room.”

This has been an interesting offseason for Franks.

He walked into the Hyatt Regency Birmingham, Wynfrey Hotel not only as Florida's starting quarterback but one of the newest members of the Red Sox organization.

“They do need some help in the bullpen, it looks like…” joked coach Dan Mullen, a Red Sox fan.“I’ve seen his accuracy, though, so I don’t know if I’d want to stand in that batter’s box.”

“That’s because he doesn’t want to strike out," said Franks in reply to Mullen's ribbing. "Nah, I’m not super wild. When I was high school maybe a little bit. I was pretty good actually off the mound. I was surprised. I mean, I was pretty accurate with a baseball.”

Franks has not picked up a baseball in four or five years, but he threw a 94 mph ball when he threw last month - enough to impress Boston.

Although the Rex Sox did give him a $40,000 bound last week, Franks was too busy on Monday being focused on the team, fans that wear orange and blue.

Franks has made huge strides under Mullen and quarterback Brian Johnson in one season. He amassed 31 touchdowns, 24 passing, and only six interceptions.

“We’ll see how he progresses,” Mullen said.

Franks will graduate in December and he will certainly have a big decision to make: will he return for a fifth season at Florida or will he leave early?

“I’ve thought about it,” Franks said, “but that’s not my main focus.”

No. He is focused on his current team. He is focused on making sure he is leading his side to the next step.

"Seen him mature so much in the past three years," said running back Lamical Perine. "Seeing that type of guy he is and seeing the maturity and being a great player."

"I think he’s taken a lot of positive steps within leadership, with his demeanor, his approach to the game," said Mullen. "Certainly though the spring I saw that in how he was seeing the offense and understanding the offense and understanding what we were trying to accomplish."

"He is just more of a vocal leader, being able to correct guys when they’re wrong. A lot of guys can’t, but he can," added Perine. "You have to have a lot of mental toughness. Because a lot of guys don’t like being corrected. For you to be able to correct someone, it takes a lot of toughness, because you con’t ever know the reaction of the person you’re trying to correct.

"It took time for people to believe in Feleipe, but they trust him now."

"When I first got to Florida, I wasn’t willing – Hey, Jarrad Davis, you’re not doing something right. It’s something you have to build up to," said Franks. "You want to compete at a high level with your teammates. When somebody’s not doing something right, you want to correct them on it. At the end of the day, you don’t want to make the same mistake in the game. It can cost you a touchdown, anything. You never know."

But this offseason was more than improving his accuracy. In order to feel comfortable leading his team, Franks wanted to be in the right frame of mind- which meant he needed to open himself up.

" I think my emphasis for this season as opposed to last season was more to continue to build to become a leader. You always want to work on accuracy and thats every year. At the some time you want to be more efficient as a quarterback and in everything I do, whether it be on the field leader or in the community; whether it be in the building, greeting somebody saying, ‘hey, how is your day?’ I just want to build relationships outside of the my teammates…. just being a better person than I have been in the past.

" Thats what came through my mind, start greeting people as I walk through the hallways, make somebody’s day when you’re at Publix," added Franks. "It makes me feel ultimately better when you can make somebody’s day. It makes you feel good, right?"

He was certainly feeling good as he spoke to several writers and media personalities on Monday.

Franks joked that his new demeanor is due to the arrival of his baby niece, Jade, who has certainly "softened" him a bit.

At the end of the day, this new mental approach is one more side of Franks that has seen development.

Franks continues to take steps forward.

"I think he has come a long way. Continues to come a long way," said Mullen. "Continues to grow, continues to develop and continues to take those steps. And in development, especially in today's world, you look at the development, the 25 ranked quarterbacks in all the recruiting sites, in his recruiting class, 17 of them have transferred already. He's stuck it out, and he's continued to work and stay through different adversities, to continue to grow, to continue to develop, and he's starting to reap all of the rewards of that now with how he finished last year."