BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Technically, this was Ron Zook's media debut. Sure, Florida had welcomed him in January with an introductory press conference. And, yeah, he faced reporters during spring ball. But that was nothing.

Not compared to the swanky ballroom packed with 500 skeptical SEC football writers.

		My friend, sportswriter Bob Gilbert, says that Florida coach Ron Zook speaks in rapid-fire bursts, like a Gatling gun. When Zook fired away at the recent SEC media days, his ammunition of choice was a language very few understand. I call it "Coachspeak" -- and I understand it only because I spent so many years listening to it, spouting it and translating it for viewers and readers. More...

But Zook didn't flinch. Like he has since Day One in Gainesville, he did things his way. Bouncing to the stage. Wearing a suit. Smacking his gum. And refusing to take a breath between sentences, words or syllables.

He sounded like the guy from the old FedEx commercial. And looked like an investment banker.

"I learned a long time ago, I have to be me," Zook said at his trademark frenetic pace. "I can't come in here and try to be somebody else. I have to be me. Whether that's good or bad, we'll find out."

What does that mean for Zook? Working with energy. Fire. Determination. Stuffing three hours of work into two. And postponing food and sleep as much as possible -- they're a nuisance.

Zook is the anti-Spurrier. He doesn't golf. Won't wear a visor. Likes recruiting. And runs practice like it's a race. He stomps around the field like he's looking to pick a fight.

About the only thing the old ballcoach and new ballcoach have in common is a desire to chomp into players on the sidelines.

"I already told him not he's not going to bug me at all," said quarterback Rex Grossman, a frequent verbal target of Spurrier. "I'm used to it."

This is a guy who tells his assistants to attach their cell phone to their underwear when they go to bed, just in case he calls. This is a guy who wouldn't stop for lunch during a recruiting trip, forcing assistant Mike Woodford to jump out of the car at a red light and buy a candy bar from a corner convenience store before the light turned green and Zook took off.

He is a note-taking reporter's nightmare. Asked one out-of-breath scribe at last week's SEC media day: "Are you on speed?"

"I'll bet you I haven't had four cups of coffee since I got the job," Zook cracked. Maybe it's genetics.

"I always say that if you sleep four hours fast, that's like sleeping eight hours. How can you sleep more than four hours? I can't do it."

	Ron Zook's gag order didn't help the Gators one bit against FSU.

Despite Zook's intense, in-your-face ways, SEC coaches are drooling at the prospect of playing Florida sans Spurrier.

Florida returns 10 starters from the 2001 team that finished 10-2 and ranked third in the country after a 56-23 win over Maryland in the Orange Bowl. But even with the return of Heisman hopeful Grossman, the overwhelming sentiment is the Gators won't be the same without their visor-clad leader.

During the SEC meetings back in May, Zook said he could feel the other coaches thinking they are going to "kick his butt." And preseason SEC media picks forecasted Florida third in the SEC East, behind Tennessee and Georgia.

"There are a lot of questions about Florida," Zook said. "Let's just say I like that."

Grossman agreed.

"They can think the Gators have slipped a little bit," he said. "Then we'll hit them right in the mouth. Nothing is changing at Florida. Coach Zook has this way about him that you just know he's going to do well. We're motivated to prove Florida football is bigger than one man."

It won't be easy. Zook himself has said that Spurrier "screwed up this job for anybody else" by being as successful as he was. This season, the Gators will host defending national champion Miami and also will play at Tennessee and at Florida State.

"Those are tough shoes to fill," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "Steve created a monster. Following a guy when 10 wins is not considered a good season is not easy."

Zook will die trying. In a span of 13 days during the spring, he visited 71 Florida high schools and spoke to 12 Gator clubs -- an average of 6.4 schmooze sessions per day. Those he wasn't able to attend, a member of his coaching staff either visited or contacted.

During the 15 days of spring practice -- the only on-field time Zook had to implement an entirely new offense, defense and special teams -- everything was about tempo.

"We were just moving all the time. It was definitely go, go, go every minute," Grossman said. "It was a totally different way to go about things, but I think the players kind of liked it. We worked five times harder this season than we've ever worked before."

So did the fans. In April, Zook removed a set of bleachers from the sidelines, forcing onlookers to stand if they wanted to watch. One fan, who brought her own lawn chair, was asked to leave. Initially criticized for the move, Zook didn't budge. Eventually, the Gator faithful understood.

"It's a work area," Zook said. "The mentality is that we're not going to sit down, we're going to get it done. I don't want to be on the football field a long time. I want to accomplish three hours of work in two hours time. Once guys realize that, they like it."

And thus far, it's worked. The players believe. The coaches believe. And the fans believe. During his spring tour of Gator booster clubs, Zook had one of the longest autograph lines in recent memory.

"It's human nature to resist change," Zook said. "But everyone is buying into it. And that's why it's been a lot of fun. That's why it's been as smooth as it has. What does it mean? We'll find out August 31."

Wayne Drehs is a stff writer at ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn.com.