AD excited about the future with Mullen
the Gators’ search, Stricklin said he ultimately landed the coach he wanted and UF’s football program needed.
“Probably the best way to put it is, I thought it was unlikely there was anyone out there who could come in and be as successful as Dan Mullen,” Stricklin said. “We did what we needed to do. But even throughout the process, I knew it was going to be hard for anyone to come in and be as successful as Dan had a chance to be as our coach.”
History has graded Mullen’s hiring well.
Mullen’s 20-5 record the past two seasons is tops among the coaches who came on board during the same hiring cycle.
Two of them, Nebraska’s Scott Frost and UCLA’s Chip Kelly, were on the radar of Stricklin, who even traveled to New Hampshire with UF president Kent Fuchs and several athletic department officials to meet with Kelly. Frost and Kelly have yet to record a winning season at their new schools.
Jimbo Fisher, the only hire in the 2018 class with a national title to his credit, is 16-9 at Texas A&M, including 7-5 this season. Meanwhile, Willie Taggart, Fisher’s replacement at Florida State, lasted just 21 games until he was fired with a 9-12 record.
The juxtaposition of the two in-state rivals following UF’s 40-17 win over FSU last weekend in the Swamp was not lost on Stricklin. Two years earlier, Stricklin called Mullen and offered him the UF job during halftime of the Gators’ eventual 38-22 home loss to the Seminoles.
This past Sunday on his he started talking to them about expectations and desired results and how we’re going to get there, [it] totally changed.
“I’ll never forget Chauncey Gardner slapped me on the back, skipping out of the room — fired up and excited. That was kind of the general mood of all the guys. There was a totally different change in mindset and body language. That’s a credit to Dan’s ability to set a direction and cast a vision and lay out a plan of how we’re going to achieve it.”
The Gators have since thrived under Mullen and are expected to receive their second consecutive bid to a New Year’s Six game — most likely the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 in Miami. The announcement is expected at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Two seasons removed from a 4-7 finish, the No. 9 Gators (10-2) seem to be ahead of schedule. Yet Mullen and Stricklin have their sights set on larger goals.
“It’s safe to say he’s helped create a lot of momentum in a very short period of time for the Gators,” Stricklin said. “I don’t know if there really is a schedule. The schedule is: We want to maximize our ability to be successful every day.
“If we do that at the University of Florida every day, eventually we’re going to win championships.”
Stricklin said he and Mullen frequently discuss their plans and hopes for the future — and how there.
“Every time we sit down, it’s what do we need to do to get better and make sure we’re building this thing for the long haul,” Stricklin said.
An $85 million football training facility set to open following the 2021 season might be the biggest step. Upgrading the schedule is another one. Stricklin said the Gators are in discussions with several schools for home-and-home series that, if agreed upon, “fans will be excited about.”
Stricklin himself is excited to share the future with Mullen. The 47-year-old is wrapping up the second year of a six-year deal through the 2023 season.
While he declined to share potential contract discussions with Mullen, suffice it to say Stricklin will do what it takes to keep Mullen at UF.
“I think Dan’s going to be the head coach of the Florida Gators for a long time,” Stricklin said. “My sense is, Dan loves being a Gator. He’s excited about what he’s building and the things that are coming both inside the program and around the program from a facilities standpoint. I think he really enjoys being part of Gator Nation.
“My expectation is, he’s going to be head coach of the Gators a long, long time.” to get