The greatest trick Dan Mullen played in the offseason was convincing us all that 2017 was a long time ago.
He came out with a message of unity, inviting all Gators whether students, former players, or alumni to join in. He brought back an offense that has worked in Gainesville before with a new defensive coordinator as aggressive as last year’s was passive. Only three players transferred out in the offseason, all for understandable playing time reasons and not due to personality mismatches. Everything felt so new and positive.
For the most part, Mullen kept the illusion of distance from last year up through the bye week.