GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Dan Mullen and the team are all behind Feleipe Franks. He is "the guy" under center.

However, it's not the job security that has helped Franks feel comfortable, it's his knowledge of the Florida offense.

"It feels different in the way of knowledge," Franks told reporters after Saturday's practice. "Not really of being the guy or anything like that, we come out here just to compete every day."

Franks said that he has shared first team reps with fellow quarterbacks Kyle Trask and Emory Jones, and that the first two practices have been "productive".

"It’s just always a competition, it makes it more fun."

This is the first time in Franks' career that he has entered the season as an unquestioned starter at signal-caller; and it's the first time UF has been able to boast that in general since the Tim Tebow days.

With the keys to the offense in his pocket, Franks wants to get comfortable with how it operates.

"I think the knowledge is far more than last year or even the spring," the redshirt junior stated. "But I try to keep building."

"He's very different; he's more mature in every aspect of his life," wide receiver Trevon Grimes said. "He comes out here every day, works hard, tells us what we need to do even if we don't wanna hear it and he's just more of a mentor and can't wait for him to show what he has to do Aug. 24."

The importance of the starting quarterback understanding the system can go unsaid, but head coach Dan Mullen is confident that Franks, along with the rest of the offense, have a good grasp.

"I think they know what our expectations and I think their comfort within the system make it's easier for them to do the extra work," Mullen said at media day. "That when the quarterbacks and receivers go out they know the offense now, they know the passing game and they have been through it all for a year. So they know how hard they need to go work."

As he continues to lean more about the system, Franks notes that practices have become faster for him.

"When you’re processing it becomes quicker, you’re able to do the play cleaner," Franks said. "The quicker you can process the better the play is going to be, I think that’s what’s helped out. That’s what’s been productive.”

Knowing more about his fellow teammates and their skills has certainly aided the signal caller and the offense's productivity. Mullen previously stated that he expects the quarterback to throw a ten-yard out route to a receiver with a blindfold on.

For Franks, building that chemistry has been pretty easy.

"[Forming receiver chemistry is] not difficult at all," Franks expressed. "All I do, all day every day, is throw the football to these guys, so it’s not that hard.

"But at the same time, you definitely want to get game-like reps in practice and fall camp, that’s what these things are for... you want to build chemistry that way, not just throwing routes on air, one on ones, stuff like that."

Franks' hard work has not gone unnoticed. He has earned the respect from the team.

"Nobody talks back to him, everybody listens to what he has to say," said Grimes. "Right, wrong, he's our leader, and we listen to him, so if he has something to say we listen with open ears for him.

"His play has backed it up. He knows what he's doing. He's more comfortable with his reads and everything," added Grimes. "He has great practices back to back to back, everyone just buys into what he's saying and listens to him cause he knows what he's talking about

"At the end of the day when a guys speaking and knows what he's talking about, it's not that hard to believe in him."