Florida HC Dan Mullen Reportedly Won’t Be Fired During 2021 CFB Season

AP Photo/Sean Rayford

Florida isn’t planning to fire head football coach Dan Mullen before the regular season ends, according to CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd.

A number of notable FBS schools have already moved on from their head coaches. Virginia Tech is the most recent to enter the coaching carousel after parting ways with Justin Fuente on Tuesday.

With the Gators sitting at 5-5, many have wondered whether Mullen is living on borrowed time in Gainesville.

Dodd laid out one of the biggest challenges Florida would face if it fired Mullen: the absence of a clear replacement.

No Urban Meyer-like candidate is on the board. When the Gators hired Meyer ahead of the 2005 season, he was a home run hire, and he guided the program to two national championships.

Not only is there a dearth of prominent coaches either out of work or looking to move up in prestige, but the Gators would also be competing with USC, LSU and Washington for the top names available.

Florida’s last coaching search showed how difficult it can be to evaluate the suitability of experienced coaches with proven track records.

In 2017, the school pursued Chip Kelly to replace Jim McElwain, only to see him select UCLA instead. The Bruins are 16-25 under Kelly, and his subpar recruiting would’ve made him a poor fit at a top-tier SEC power. Florida would probably be in a worse position if Kelly had chosen the Gators.

Things aren’t going well under Mullen. The Gators haven’t closed the gap on Alabama or Georgia, and some have raised concerns about his ability to attract blue-chip talent.

However, the extent to which Florida is struggling could be a blip.

Jim Harbaugh looked to be a dead man walking after Michigan went 2-4 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Instead, he got an extension that effectively makes it easier to fire him, and the Wolverines are on track to make a New Year’s Six bowl at 9-1.

The Gators fired defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and offensive line coach John Hevesy shortly after a 40-17 defeat to South Carolina.

Given the coaching landscape, it might make sense to give Mullen one more year with a new defensive coordinator.