GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida welcomed nine early enrollees in January, four of which are offensive linemen. Having Michael Tarquin, Ethan White, Kingsley Eguakun and William Harrod already on campus, has made all the difference this spring.

"I’m just thankful that they’re here, because I don’t know how we’d practice," Dan Mullen told reporters on Monday. "You’re asking about the spring game format. If we didn’t have those guys, the spring game format would probably be more 7-on-7. I don’t know if we’d play with linemen. It’d be more of a 7-on-7 tournament type of deal."

With four of last year's offensive line starters gone, the Gators are going to have to rely on several of their younger linemen this season - which means one of these freshmen could very well see the field this upcoming season.

This spring is not about that, however.

Spring is about teaching.

These freshmen are currently receiving an education on college football. An accelerated education.

"If you do throw guys in and they’ve gotta go with the 1s and 2s and a lot of times they do accelerate really fast. They do. Because of the pressure,'" explained Mullen. "There’s peer pressure and they have to. If they don’t do it, it’s an exposure. You can’t even practice. You can’t even function"

"I give so many props to those guys," said center Nick Buchanan. "They should be getting ready for prom right now yet they're out here competing with the best of the best. They're 17, 18-year-old kids going against 21, 22-year-old grown men, so you know, kudos to them, and I appreciate the work they've been doing. Hope they get better."

Buchanan admits that it's a tough situation for a true freshman to walk into. A situation he isn't sure he could have adjusted so well to.

"You're going to be pressured, paralysis by analysis, you know, just trying to digest everything, you know, everything's moving fast," he explained. "It's a whole new culture. You should be in high school right now. But once they understand what's going on and the details and everything that they need to get doe to get the job done, then they'll be alright."

Although there was an initial culture shock, the veterans have been quite impressed with the new arrivals.

"They take a step each and every day to improve on something and work on something," said lineman TJ Moore."Everybody that has came in has gotten a lot better."

“When that whole class came in, I seen guys that were determined," said offensive lineman Jean Delance. "They were determined. They wanted something and the opportunities there for everybody, if you want it, you can go get it. That’s what I like the most about that class. All of those guys want it and we’re depending on those guys and they’re everyday working, asking questions, this and that, ‘Hey man, how do I do this? Hey coach, how do I do this?’ There’s no hesitation for asking coach anything. They’re not worried about if he says that’s wrong, they just want to be better.”

"I am pleased with their development. I’m pleased with where all those guys are at, how they’re picking things up and how they’re performing," said Mullen.

Several of the freshmen linemen have seen have seen time with the first team and second team. Michael Tarquin is one first year standout to receive significant reps, earning praise from his teammates.

“I think Mike’s (Tarquin) footwork," said Brett Heggie. "I feel that he is a lot further along than you know, especially like I was when I first got here. You know, I think just his awareness for the game.”

The line will not be an overnight success. It will take time. However, the foundation is there.

"I think those young linemen have really bought into the program... they’ve bought into football. They talk football," said Mullen. "They spend a lot of extra time trying to study and prepare themselves and be ready in case their number is called this season. A lot of freshmen come in and are trying to figure it all out. And these guys, you hear them having football conversations about calls, how they’re making calls, how they communicate with each other. Even though it’s a little nerve wracking now, it could be pretty good a couple years down the road when the same guys are still out there.”