Former Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen has been hired at UNLV

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Former Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen has returned to college coaching as UNLV’s new head coach, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported Thursday. Mullen returns to coaching toward the end of the 2021 season after a three-year hiatus following his release from Florida.

UNLV will be Mullen’s third stop as head coach after stints at Mississippi State (2009-2017) and Florida (2018-2021). He has a 103-61 record in 13 years as a head coach. After a four-year stint as Florida’s offensive coordinator in which he won two national championships, Mullen took his first head coaching job with the Bulldogs, where he became the school’s second-winningest head coach of all time with 69 wins.

In 2014, Mullen led the program to its third 10-win season in program history and was the first team to be ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff poll.

Mullen returned to Florida prior to the 2018 season, where he led the Gators to back-to-back 10-win seasons and six New Year Bowl wins. 2020 featured an offensive masterclass from Mullen and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, led by Heisman finalist quarterback Kyle Trask, Mackey Award-winning tight end Kyle Pitts and first-round draft pick receiver Kadarius Toney. Mullen made his first and only appearance in the SEC Championship Game this season, a 52-46 loss to Alabama.

However, there was a massive drop in production in 2021. Early wins against Tennessee and Vanderbilt and a near comeback against Alabama gave hope to the season, but poor performances against Kentucky, LSU, Georgia and South Carolina dashed all hope. After a 24-23 overtime loss to Missouri that dropped Florida to 5-6, Mullen was fired.

After his release, Mullen became a college football analyst for ESPN, where he also served as a color commentator for certain broadcasts.

Mullen will replace former UNLV head coach Barry Odom, who recently left the Rebels program to take the head coaching job at Purdue. Odom had a 19-8 record and finished second in the Mountain West twice.