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Jim McElwain spoke on the Florida Gators spring practice so far on Tuesday. Here are some notable quotes from his press conference.

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Florida head coach Jim McElwain returned from spring break sporting a new goatee that he might keep, if he gets approval from his other half.

“I don’t know. I’ll leave that up to my wife,” McElwain responded when asked if he would keep the facial hair.

The third-year coach was happy with his players as they returned from the break focused and in shape.

“I was really proud of them. We asked them to take some workouts with them and make sure they come back, and they took it to heart,” McElwain said. “I could see that a lot of guys got a lot done over the break. I think that speaks a little bit kind of why I’m so excited about this team. They really have focused on what they need to do to get better and part of that is accepting the responsibility to keep pushing themselves.”

McElwain also noted that quarterback Luke Del Rio will undergo surgery on his throwing shoulder this week just to get it “cleaned out.” He expects Del Rio to be fully healthy for fall practice.

Here are some other newsworthy quotes from McElwain’s time with the media.

On spring practice so far

“One of the things kind of going back and reviewing those first couple days, I tell you what guys, we’re fast. We’ve got guys that can really run. It has really stood out, and that way they’ve approached the practice, it’s something that gets you really excited as a coach, guys flying around, playing their tails off.”

On evolution of offense

“I think one of the things you find yourself kind of getting in a little bit of a rut, and all of a sudden, you can’t do this, you can’t do that. Let’s continue to grow and be creative, and it’s been good with the new guys as well. New thoughts, new way of looking at things as well. Not as concerned in the spring with schemes as we are with guys getting individually and fundamentally better.”

On expectations once pads go on

“To me the huge thing is are we going to play with pad level and are we going to allow ourselves to finish and not kind of get there and stop. The big key there to me is are we going to climb to the second level when we need to. On the defensive front, are we going to get that second step in the ground and control blockers and get our hand placement where we need to and that kind of thing and not pick a side.”

On quarterback Kyle Trask’s improvement

“He put a couple on the ground and got me a little angry. Understand this, it’s never the center’s fault, it’s always the quarterback’s fault. He had a couple, yet nothing that was earth shattering. His understanding of where to go with the ball, that’s what I’m impressed with. His cerebral approach. Now we’ve got to cut it loose a little quicker. You can’t see it, you’ve got to anticipate it.”

MORE: Florida Gators Spring Practice Preview, Storylines To Watch