GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After a rough spring for returning starter Feleipe Franks, many Florida fans are eagerly looking forward to the debut of true freshman quarterback Emory Jones.

Jones was a clear No. 3 in the race this spring, but new coach Dan Mullen hasn't been shy about introducing young quarterbacks early on in their careers. He'll do it slowly, of course, giving them a small number of plays early on to build confidence as they get their feet wet.

The talented dual-threat prospect from Georgia certainly appears to be good enough to play a role, maybe even a significant one, for the Gators next fall.

Getting a spring under his belt was a good start, because the ramp-up to the college level is intense, particularly at the quarterback position.

"The speed of football is different. One thing I think is your maturity level, you've got to be kind of mature coming in from high school to college because there's not a lot of playing around," Jones said Thursday evening on an Instagram Live with quarterback trainer Quincy Avery. "It's serious football. It was just a lot of things mentally that I didn't know about the game that I wish I would have known before I got here. Defensive wise, coverages, protections, stuff like that."

He got a feel for some of that during spring practice, when Mullen kept a close eye on all of his quarterbacks.

Jones offers the Gators the most natural running threat, though his passing was a bit of a work in progress this spring in terms of accuracy. Still, if Mullen wants to run his traditional offense with quarterback run involved, Jones is the best bet in the long-term.

That's one of the reasons he picked Florida after flipping from Ohio State.

"That situation, it was a kind of different situation for me than any regular recruiting process," Jones said. "A lot of things went on. Things just didn't go the right way at Ohio State and I felt like I had a better opportunity to do certain things that I want to do at Florida.

"Just getting developed and getting to the next level and having a, not easier, but a path set up."

Jones sounded comfortable now after having a couple months under his belt, and what he gets done this summer will be key. Mullen has harped on his quarterbacks making the biggest jumps over the summer.

The hands-on work with Mullen this spring gives Jones a baseline to start from.

"When I first got there he wasn't around much because he was recruiting," Jones said. "But during the spring, he's kind of a quarterback guy, so he was in all the quarterback meetings, handling drills and stuff like that. He's a great guy, knows what he's doing, so he's helped me out a lot."

Despite the fact that Jones will be pushing Franks for the starting job this fall, he said the two have developed a nice rapport.

He thanked the redshirt sophomore for how helpful he's been to date.

"Feleipe, he actually helped me out a lot just going through the spring, certain things I didn't understand in the meeting rooms," Jones said. "Then we got on the field, he just knows it. That's not a question, he helped me out a lot. And Kyle (Trask), same thing. They both helped me out a lot on the field."

Mullen also likes what he's seen out of the three quarterbacks he has on the roster and how they've gotten along.

"within the room, they work pretty well together. That’s the good thing," Mullen said. "But I see them doing a good job with the team. I’ll do it in fall camp, too, everyone’s going to get with different groups. I want to see how you lead the ones, how you lead the twos, how you lead the threes. You never know who you’re going to be in the huddle with, and how you’re going to develop that."

To that end, summer player-run practices are a huge deal. Quarterbacks typically organize those, and in the first year of a new offense, running as many plays as possible to get them down pat is pivotal.

Jones has taken part in those and said his adjustment has gone smoothly. The Gators need it to if they hope to hit on all cylinders next fall.

He could be the key link in finally starting to turn around the Florida offense.

"It's a big deal for me, coming from a (small) town like that," Jones said. "It was kind of hard at first, but I just had to get adapted to the college feeling, the new big-town atmosphere, stuff like that. But I'm doing good right now.

"On the field, it's more just throwing a lot, just getting a rhythm with the receivers and stuff like that."

Come fall, Jones will get his shot. And fans will get to see just how good a rhythm he can manage to develop.