Gators Football Players Buying In, Seemingly Not Opting Out This Season
While the football world proceeds amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the SEC is currently just 19 days away from opening day - Sept. 26. With that, many events have transpired, including several players opting out, some foregoing their final season of eligibility to prepare to for the 2021 NFL Draft.
For the Florida Gators, however, they've appeared to conquer at least one battle, they haven't had any opt outs, nor has the university seen a positive COVID-19 test for the football team since early July.
Currently, 50% of the SEC (7/14 programs) have had a player opt out, including LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Georgia. The Gators have relied on their protocols, and feature one of the best health institutes in the country in UF Health. However, most importantly, the players have seemingly bought in.
"It's really encouraging, you know what I mean? It is. Like I said, I'm really proud of our guys. I mean, they've really handled all of these situations extremely well, you know, of the players," Gators head coach Dan Mullen said of the lack of opt outs for his program last week.
"I think it shows their commitment to excellence, their desire to be a great football team, their commitment to each other, and how serious they take everything. So, I'm really really pleased with what we do. But, you know what? Success is not a short-term thing, to be successful it takes commitment to doing things the right way, commitment's a long-term deal."
With the Gators ready to roll for Sept. 26, they aren't completely out of the woods. The team will have to continue being cautious, and continue to buy in to the protocols they are currently set to adhere to. To tell a lot of 19-year-old young adults that they essentially have to be on lockdown, it's tough, Mullen says.
“The fact that we haven’t had a positive test since early July, I think there’s a growing comfort with what we’re doing," said the Gators' head coach. "Obviously, we’re getting into a new phase, which is going to be kind of gameday phase and we’ll see how that goes. I hope everybody feels real comfortable with all the safety precautions that we’ve put in place and whatever the SEC puts in place, that we have that comfort level with coaches and players to continue on the path we’re on."
At this point, the Gators are also one of just two FBS teams (Florida International) yet to have an opt out. Florida State, Central Florida, South Florida, Florida Atlantic and Miami have all had opt outs thus far.
One player, Gators tight end Kyle Pitts, seemingly had every reason to opt out; he's a rising junior who is draft-eligible for the 2021 NFL Draft and is likely to be the No. 1 tight end off of the board. His challenger, Penn State's Pat Freiermuth is not slated to play this year after the entire Big Ten opted out of the fall season.
Pitts, however, never considered it, ready to get his season going and complete his progression as one of the top tight ends in the country, and Mullen sees that in his team.
"I think our guys, they love playing football. I think they realize we’ve tried to create a really safe environment."
