GAINESVILLE, Fla. — There are many ways you can describe or label Kevin O’Sullivan.

He is best known as the winningest baseball coach in University of Florida history, leading the program to a national championship in 2017. He is a baseball lifer. He grew up on the diamonds of South Florida, played in college, and went into coaching in his mid-20s. He’s an exceptional talent evaluator and game manager. He’s a father and a husband. He’s fiery, funny, intense, moody and aloof at times.

A depiction rarely used in painting a word portrait of O’Sullivan, set to enter this 19th season leading the Gators, is relaxed.

That is perhaps what struck me most on Friday afternoon when O’Sullivan came out of hibernation after the longest offseason of his career. The 57-year-old O’Sullivan, in speaking to reporters for the first time since taking a personal leave of absence in October, appeared calmer than I’ve seen him after wins.

He looked healthy. He sounded upbeat. He appeared glad to be there and move past what he referenced as the “elephant in the room.”

O’Sullivan spent two months away from the program from October to mid-December. According to a press release at the time, O’Sullivan had “some personal and family issues that need my full attention at this time.”

He did not go into details on Friday, but he assured the larger-than-usual media throng at Condron Ballpark that he was in a much better place mentally and physically.

“I feel great,” O’Sullivan said. “[It] was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do other than lose my parents. It ended up being the best thing that could have happened. I feel rejuvenated, I feel great, I feel much more at peace.”

The last time most Gators fans saw O’Sullivan was during an outburst in June at the NCAA Conway (S.C.) Regional, in which he berated a pair of tournament officials for a game time being changed. The incident was caught on video and led to a public apology and statement from UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin.

“I regret it. I certainly wish I didn’t do it,” O’Sullivan said Friday. “The last thing I want to do is misrepresent Florida or myself or anybody else.”

The Gators later suspended O’Sullivan for the first three games of the regular season, which starts on Feb. 13 when UAB comes to town for a three-game series. O’Sullivan said Friday he will be watching from home rather than his usual perch in the dugout.

O’Sullivan has been back at work leading the team during the preseason. He said the time away gave him an opportunity to re-evaluate his perspective on his work and personal life.

O’Sullivan said he has set aside time each morning for himself that helps set a positive tone for the day.

“The one thing for me was control. When you go to work every day, and you’re responsible for 35, 38 players and a staff of 10 to 12 people, it’s hard to turn it off,” he said. “And then the perfection side of you, the perfectionist, comes out in you. The sense of gratitude, I think, that kind of gets lost in this profession at times. Things can get away from you a little bit.”

O’Sullivan spent 30 minutes on Friday discussing his team heading into the season and the lessons of the past several months. He is excited about the possibilities for the Gators on the field coming off a 39-22 season that included a 1-11 start in the Southeastern Conference. The Gators turned it around to finish .500 in league play by going 14-4 over their final 18 SEC games.

To help O’Sullivan transition back into the program, the Gators hired veteran coach Tom Slater as acting head coach/associate head coach following the departure of former assistant Chuck Jeroloman, who left for Tennessee days after O’Sullivan began his leave of absence.

“I’ve known Tommy for 25-plus years,” O’Sullivan said. “He knows Florida. He’s been here with [former UF] Coach [Pat] McMahon. He’s coached at the highest level. He’s an extremely, extremely bright baseball guy. His hitting knowledge is really second to none. He just brings an older presence to them.”

O’Sullivan handled his first press conference since stepping back into the public eye about as well as could have been expected. He’s always been upfront and honest about his teams.

The topic was himself this time.

“I just think I have a better understanding of things. I’m trying to look at things in a different perspective. This is my 19th year. It’s just go, go, go, go. We all have things we have to deal with away from our job. Sometimes life is not always going to be perfect. All we can do is learn from it and try to make ourselves better.

“I’m trying to be more present with the players. I’m trying to engage with them on a personal level, maybe more than I did in the past. I’ve accepted everything. I’ve tried to do the best I can as far as put myself in a position to be the best version of myself standing here in front of you guys or the team. It’s really that simple.”

O’Sullivan knows the grind of a season is full of ups and downs. He’ll be tested in new and old ways. And with much of his work performed in front of large crowds, there’s nowhere to hide.

If O’Sullivan maintains his aura on Friday, his best version has a good chance to win.

“We all have to take care of ourselves first,” he said. “If we do that, everything else will fall into place.”

You can’t win every game. You can’t sign every recruit. You can’t get every call.

And you can’t control what you have no control over. O’Sullivan admitted he hasn’t always been great at that. He is trying to be better.

“You learn from your experience, not just in baseball, but in life,” he said.