This year, the Florida Gators offense will see plenty of new faces in its starting lineup, but none will be as dramatic as the change at quarterback.
Following Heisman finalist QB Kyle Trask's departure to the NFL, redshirt junior Emory Jones is set to take his place, and thus far he's making all of the right choices as possible for a smooth transition.
"I've been trying to take a different approach this offseason," Jones said in an interview recently with The Draft Network's Trevor Sikkema.
"Just trying to go in and be the best leader, the best teammate I can be, be the hardest worker in the building just being there all the time I can and be the last one out. I've been just trying to earn the team's respect, just trying to make everybody better every day."
Leadership is perhaps one of the most important traits a quarterback can possess at any level. Being able to take control of the team's offense, and have the respect of its players can go a long way in having success during the season. For Jones, that's something he is looking to build on, and he's waited patiently for his time to put it to the test.
After seeing the patience Trask showed throughout his career at Florida, waiting for an opportunity to lead the team's offense, Jones understands now that it can work out, an example to follow.
After a couple of years of not necessarily understanding that he didn't know everything about the offense that he thought he did, he kept at it and continued his development as Gators head coach Dan Mullen always preached to him, he says.
"Mentally I say that's the most important," Jones said when asked about the areas of his game that he's working to get better. "I mean, I've been in the film room a lot, and I just been just working my tail off in the film room. And just going through the spring, I've been seeing myself improve so much just being more comfortable in the offense. And just seeing things more faster."
Over the past few seasons, Jones has seen the field plenty of times as a package quarterback. He's completed 64% of his passes for 513 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. He's also rushed for 514 yards and six touchdowns since he stepped foot on Florida's campus in 2018.
Florida's offense will be changing in a way because of what Jones can bring to the table. While it won't change dramatically as far as the plays being run, there will be some changes to how the plays are run within Mullen's scheme.
"Well, I'd say the thing that changed the most is probably the tempo of how we playing," said Jones. "We playing a lot faster this year. We still run the same things you know, just putting different people in different places and just trying things out man is looking really good for us."
Over the offseason, Jones has worked with plenty of his teammates, including receivers Jacob Copeland and Justin Shorter, building chemistry with two of the team's top-rated receivers expected to make a jump in this coming season.
"We have a very good chemistry. I mean, we just ready to put it all together in the fall."
The Gators open up Week 1 against Florida Atlantic University in just 82 days and counting.
Watch the full interview here:
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