GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida football held its first practice of the spring on Tuesday, and they did it in front of fans.

"That was great," Dan Mullen said about the open practice. "I mean, they're always here. You love to see the excitement from everybody. As we kickoff the spring, I know we had a big baseball game tonight so a lot fans of baseball got to see it. Anytime you come out here and get to see the sports they have and the passion Gator nation has is pretty special. I think it always motivates the players."

The Gators head coach told reporters on Monday that he wanted to see his players come out with a good attitude. On Tuesday, Mullen said he not only liked the energy he saw from his team but he liked the progression he saw.

"I think last year no one had an idea of what to expect coming in day one but you know, especially you get in the ones, the guys that have played and have been around the program a bit more, it’s not like it’s all new. I think they move a little bit quicker and they know what to expect from what practice should be like," said Mullen. "They also know the offense, they know the defense a little bit. Not bad really but to be honest with some of the new guys, the young guys that haven’t played a whole lot coming out here, there will be a lot of mistakes on film but we will go correct that."

According to Mullen, they will determine how well the younger players fared after a few practices - since they will continue to install new offenses and defenses each day. The good news for the early enrollees and some of the younger athletes, the veterans are stepping up to lead them in the right direction.

"I think our guys they help out; I mean you got guys that are comfortable, coach them up," explained Mullen. "To be able to spend some time, hopefully see guys that have spent a bunch of time in the offseason, a little extra film work, a little extra study so there's confidence, and they spend a little bit of extra time even in spring.

"We have our meetings but we'll come in tomorrow, we'll lift and meet, lift and meet, we get a little bit over an hour in meeting tomorrow but there's a lot more, more than an hour in the next 48 hours. If you wanna really learn, you've gotta put that in a little extra."

Where will Kyle Pitts play?

Where will Kyle Pitts feature this year? Will it be at tight end or at wide receiver? On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania native took several reps with the receivers.

The simple answer.

Both. And anywhere Florida feels he can help.

"I don't like having positions on anybody," said Mullen. "The more flexibility you have, the harder you are to match up on. so the guys that can play running back, receiver or tight end and we can move you to all positions. Even with receivers, you can only play one receiver but if I can move you around, you create mismatch problems. So, the more flexibility you have every where on the field, the more mismatches you create."

Position versatility is a huge theme for Mullen and his staff. In addition to players like the younger David Reese and Amari Burney, Malik Langham is also another versatile player to watch.

The defensive lineman has moulded into a potential defensive tackle.

"Position flexibility is important for us. Guys have to be able to play multiple positions."

Medical Report

As we noted on our practice insider report, the Gators were missing a few players on Tuesday - in addition to the three that are set to miss spring with injury (Jeremiah Moon, Griffin McDowell and Marlon Dunlap).

Florida receiver Jacob Copeland is not expected to be out for the entire spring.

"I think he's got a sore hamstring or something," explained Mullen. "He's fine."

However, Noah Banks is still day to day. The Florida offensive lineman is suffering from a medical condition that caused him to suffer from vertigo during bowl prep. The staff are being very cautious with Banks, understandably. He did not practice on Tuesday.

"I'm not sure," Mullen told Gators Territory when asked if Banks is expected to return this spring. "He had that issue at the bowl game. His is a very unique deal. You know what I mean? I got a strained hamstring, I'm going to miss two days. Or I have a sprained ankle and will miss this amount of time. The medical history he has, it's a very different deal. So, there really is no time frame to judge anything. We will see as he keeps progressing forward."

The good news is that we also saw the return of several players that were on the injured list including: Marco Wilson and Malik Davis.

Although Wilson did not participate in team drills, Davis did have a few reps. Mullen says Davis is 100 percent.

"He is healthy so thats good, so hopefully he stays healthy and gets through the spring and gets the opportunity," said the Gators head coach. "I mean he missed a good amount of playing time last year, so just getting comfortable on the offense and getting him the reps for him to be ready to play in the season."