Mullen adds 2 assistants to coaching staff

GAINESVILLE — New Florida football coach Dan Mullen said upon his hiring in late November that it would take him until after the new year to fill out his coaching staff, and he’s right on schedule.

It’s likely Mullen knew then he’d have to wait for at least one bowl game and the NFL regular season to play out before he could land some of the names he had in mind.

And so Wednesday he officially announced two more additions to the staff, hiring Greg Knox, his longtime running backs/special teams coordinator at Mississippi State, and Oakland Raiders linebackers coach Sal Sunseri.

Knox, who served as the Bulldogs’ interim head coach through their victory over Louisville in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Saturday, was Mullen’s running backs coach for all nine of his seasons in Starkville, Miss., and added the role of special teams coordinator from 2014 through this fall.

Florida’s official news release did not specify Knox’s role with the Gators, and it will be interesting to see how those titles are delineated with incumbent running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider (a graduate of Glades Central) expected to remain on staff. Either Seider or Knox could slide over to coach the tight ends, a position that has not been formally filled.

Sunseri, meanwhile, will presumably coach the Gators’ defensive line, as he has experience in that role and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has served as his own linebackers coach in the past.

Sunseri has 34 years of coaching experience overall, including 10 seasons in the NFL and five in the SEC.

Before spending the last three seasons with the Raiders, he coached the defensive ends at Florida State from 2013-14, was the defensive coordinator at Tennessee in 2012, coached linebackers at Alabama from 2009-11 and coached linebackers and special teams at LSU in 2000. Sunseri spent 2002-2008 as the defensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers.

Mullen has not yet announced the final two staff positions.