Florida Football: 5 reasons to be optimistic about 2019 season

4. Dan Mullen is the guy that this team needed

Florida had a 2017 to forget and that is putting it mildly. Four wins aren’t much of anything and it surely doesn’t get you any kind of post season play. So, when the program chose to fire Jim McElwain and bring in Dan Mullen from Mississippi State, many were just praying that he would bring them to at the very least a bowl game in 2018. They surely got more than they bargained for and that is a good thing.

First of all, Mullen has this team competing for an SEC East title right out of the gate. That doesn’t happen for most coaches. Yes, it helps that this guy came from an SEC West program that at times competed for that title. Bringing that to a program that has the talent that Florida does is a big deal for this team. He has the experience to bring to the table that the Gators needed.

Second, they were able to really turn things around from 2017 to 2018. Feleipe Franks, the quarterback that many wanted gone after an abysmal 2017, was 10 times better in 2018. He threw half as many touchdowns in week one of 2018 as did in the entirety of the season before.

The defense was one of the best in the conference and the offense did just enough to put together a ten win season — a six-win improvement from the season before.

Look for 2019 to be even better than what the Gators were able to put together in 2018.