Mullen returns to coach Gators
Mississippi State coach is hired to replace McElwain.
A familiar face
GAINESVILLE — is returning to coach the Florida Gators.
Athletic Director Scott Stricklin announced Sunday night that Dan Mullen, the former Florida offensive coordinator and Mississippi State head coach, will become the 27th head coach in Florida football history.
Mullen, 45, was UF’s offensive coordinator for four seasons from 2005-08, helping the Gators win two national championships.
“Megan and I are very excited to get back to Gainesville and the University of Florida,” Mullen said in a statement. “I have such great memories of the
championships we won during our time here and have a love for Florida. We are happy to be coming back to such a supportive administration, staff, student body and fan base, which is the premier football program in the country.
“We will give relentless effort in everything that we do on and off the field. Our commitment will match the passion that the Gator Nation has for this program.”
Stricklin also made his thoughts known on the hire.
“I strongly believe Dan is the most prepared candidate to have immediate and long-term success at the University of Florida,” Stricklin said in a release. “Coach Mullen is one of the best offensive minds in all of college football, and has an unbelievable track record in tutoring successful quarterbacks.
“Coach Mullen will do a tremendous job in developing accountability and toughness through a well-coordinated strength and conditioning program. Dan will work closely with the coaching staff, academic advising staff and administrative team to give every student athlete he coaches the opportunity to grow
and excel at a high level athletically, academically and socially.”
Mullen, who has led Mississippi State to a 69-46 record in his nine seasons there, helped develop quarterbacks Alex Smith (Utah), Tim Tebow (UF) and Dak Prescott (Mississippi State).
He also has the Bulldogs set for their eighth straight bowl game and is the second-winningest coach in school history. Mississippi State went 10-3 in 2014 and Mullen led two other nine-win seasons at a school that historically has struggled to compete in the SEC.
Spurned by Chip Kelly and seemingly unwilling to risk waiting for UCF’s Scott Frost to possibly do the same, Stricklin quickly turned to Mullen once the Bulldogs’ regular season ended. Stricklin and Mullen worked together in Starkville, Miss., from 2009-16. Stricklin was Mississippi State’s athletic director for seven of those years.
Prior to Mullen’s arrival in Starkville, the Bulldogs won four games or fewer in seven of their eight previous seasons. The Bulldogs are 8-4 this season with two notable games, a 37-7 win over LSU and 31-24 loss to then-No. 1 Alabama. Mississippi State ranks 49th in total offense (419.8 yards per game) and 37th in scoring (32.1 points per game).
The Gators have mostly sputtered on offense since Mullen left Gainesville. He would be replacing Jim McElwain, who was fired Oct. 29.
Under McElwain and interim coach Randy Shannon, Florida finished 4-7 and ranked 111th in offense (335.9 yards per game) and 108th in scoring (22.1 points per game).
Former UF coach Steve Spurrier went on Twitter to welcome Mullen back. “Happy to have you back @CoachDanMullen.#GoGators.” Spurrier also posted a video on Twitter in which he talked about how well-prepared Mullen is for this opportunity, stating that he’ll be able to bring Florida back to the point where the Gators will again be one of the top 10 programs in the country.
Mullen was considered an obvious candidate from the start given his ties to Florida and Stricklin, and Stricklin commented on their relationship during his news conference to announce the coaching search.
“I enjoyed working with Dan, and I think he would probably say the same. Dan can be direct and I can be direct and sometimes we had direct conversations, like you would anybody that you worked with closely,” Stricklin said at the time. “He’s done a really nice job there. And as an alum of that school, I’m proud of the job he’s done at my alma mater.”