With the emergence of Kyle Trask in 2019, Florida coach Dan Mullen proved once again that he can win regardless of his quarterback’s playing style.
And if the Gators have a season this year, Trask has a chance to rewrite the record books at a school with a storied history of QB success. Mullen had a huge hand in that as UF’s offensive coordinator, winning an SEC title and national championship with a pro-style passer (Chris Leak) and dual-threat (Tim Tebow).
Mullen succeeded with both styles at Mississippi State as well, producing with Tyler Russell in 2012 (2,897 passing yards) and dual-threat quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Nick Fitzgerald. Florida’s 2021 recruiting class features two QBs with contrasting styles in Carlos Del Rio and Jalen Kitna.
“I have enough offensive background, I think we can create an offense around some skill-sets at quarterbacks because if you look at all the different quarterbacks that I've had throughout the years, there's not a prototype,” Mullen said at his UF introductory presser. “They are all different shapes and sizes with different skill-sets and we've still been successful with them.”
Trask is one of Mullen’s most successful quarterbacks in his coaching career. Last year he became just the fifth signal caller under Mullen’s tutelage to eclipse 2,900 passing yards in a single season, joining Leak, Tebow, Prescott and Utah’s Alex Smith.
Trask threw for 2,941 yards and 29 touchdowns in 12 games (10 starts), the most yards and scores by a Gators QB since 2007 and one yard shy of the 10th-best mark in school history (Leak in ’06). Trask’s 29 passing TDs also matched Prescott’s best season at MSU.
“Kyle, you can see how well he's grown with Mullen and what they've done with that offense,” SEC Network analyst Peter Burns said. “I think it's just another feather in the cap for Dan to show that it doesn't have to be a Nick Fitzgerald or an Alex Smith or a Dak Prescott guy. Trask is a little different of a quarterback. And that's only going to help Dan continue to recruit big-time players at the quarterback position.
“He can say, 'I don't need just kind of a run-pass threat quarterback like I've had before. I can make you a little bit more of a pocket passer.’ I think that's what he's going to be able to do with Trask. He's one of the best quarterbacks that we're going to have in the conference next season.”
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Trask, who averaged 277.5 yard per game in 10 starts, could become just the third Mullen-coached quarterback to surpass the 3,000-yard mark, joining Tebow and Prescott. Five UF quarterbacks have produced eight 3,000-yard seasons in school history: Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Rex Grossman, Leak and Tebow.
If Trask maintains last year’s YPG average in 2020, 12 games would put him at 3,330 passing yards. That would be good for No. 4 all-time among Florida’s single-season leaders, ahead of Tebow’s Heisman Trophy campaign (3,286 yards).
Mullen expects to see a more confident Trask this fall with a season of starting experience under his belt.
"I think that is different," Mullen said last month. "Now he's a guy that has the confidence of, 'As I'm preparing, I know what it's gonna be like out there on the field'. And I think that experience will be a big help for him."
