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Florida Football: 5 reasons Gators will be contenders in 2019

By Connor Muldowney

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Kadarius Toney #4 of the Florida Gators crosses the goal line for a touchdown during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 10: Kadarius Toney #4 of the Florida Gators crosses the goal line for a touchdown during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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STARKVILLE, MS – SEPTEMBER 29: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators celebrates a win over Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS – SEPTEMBER 29: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators celebrates a win over Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

1. Dan Mullen

Dan Mullen deserves his own slide after turning the program into a 10-game winner after the shambles Jim McElwain left it in. Florida was just 5-3 in SEC play last year, but a 10-3 overall record is definitely something to brag about given the preseason expectations.

The Gators went from possibly a 7-8 win team when Mullen took over to one that is projected to finish second behind only Georgia in the SEC East in 2019. Heck, some preseason publications even have the Gators as a top-10 team nationally. The wonders he has worked with this team are second to none and he deserves all the praise coming his way.

Florida is going to be a contender in 2019 because of Mullen and that’s a testament to how good of a coach he truly is.

In fact, he went 69-46 in his time at Mississippi State and helped turn that program into a force to be reckoned with in the SEC — no longer a cakewalk.

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Now that he has the resources and the talent, he’s been recruiting at a high level and his players have bought into the system. He’s already got a feel for what he needs to do in order to compete with Georgia in the East and he’s going to get it done in 2019.

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