Coach Hevesy Back With His “Brothers”

John Hevesy has been with Head Coach Dan Mullen for a while. Well, 18 years to be exact.

The offensive line coached reminisced about his past with Mullen and Billy Gonzales, Gators co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, affectionately referring to them both as his brothers.

Hevesy has been with Mullen since 2001, starting out at Bowling Green with him, then going to Utah, Florida and then to Mississippi State. Hevesy didn’t have to think long when Mullen offered him the job to come back to Florida. He said he knew he wanted to be back at a “top-notch” program.

"Everything that is associated with @UF is top notch." — @CoachHevesy

Complete Presser: https://t.co/0nv2CNEYM1#GoGators pic.twitter.com/mHuuFgUMqq

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) February 15, 2018

Keeping Egos in Check

Hevesy stressed one big thing during the press conference Thursday. It was for every single player to leave his ego at the door.

He brought up his rings from 9 years ago but said it has nothing to do with now. Some of the players have been through a few offensive coaches by now, but that’s in the past. Hevesy said he’s going to teach them what he wants them to know.

And he said the response from the players has been great.

Every Player is Different

Hevesy said he knows every player is different. In the case of senior Martez Ivey, who wasn’t sure if he was returning for his last year or going to the NFL, Hevesy said it was all about he wanted to do. Ivey is different than Chris Bleich, a new offensive tackle recruited this year from Pennsylvania, and has one year to do what’s best for him. Hevesy wants to help him achieve that. He said he thinks Ivey made the right decision.

Always Snapping

In an effort to look past college and onto player’s futures, Hevesy gives a lot of advice to his players. One big piece: always be snapping. He said it’s easy to find tackles and guards, but hard to find a good center. By having the guys practice snapping, they can elevate their chances of playing professionally. Players who have snapped in a few games look more appealing to NFL scouts. Hevesy said it’s a huge part of the game that people don’t realize.

Building Competitive Nature

Building competitive nature is also on Hevesy’s radar. He wants to make sure each player is bothered by another player beating them, whether it’s in the weight room, on the field, or in the classroom. Hevesy said by building the competitive nature in everything they do translates to a kind of toughness on the field. He said he knows loses are a part of the business, but if players can go to sleep knowing they did everything they could do out on the field, then it’s all he can ask of them.