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GAINESVILLE, Fla – Florida coach Dan Mullen has finally admitted to making a few ‘regrettable’ comments last year, nothing more appalling than talking about – and doubling down – the team’s stadium packing during a pandemic.
But Mullen did not apologize for remaining silent after people close to Mullen told ESPN they thought he would entertain the NFL at some point.
“There are a lot of rumors, but I haven’t spoken to anyone,” Mullen said in an interview with Zoom on Tuesday, two days before the spring testing begins.
The 48-year-old Mullen was specifically asked if he wanted to end up in the pros, perhaps after next season or later.
“I’m going to approach it this way: I think a lot of people are trying to figure out what the future of college football is going to hold in store and what it’s going to look like in the future,” he said. “I love being here at the University of Florida. I think we have a great program. We have a great fan base, a great history, the opportunity to be a championship program every year.
“I think the coaches are concerned about (regarding) what the future of college football is going to look like. … I think there’s a lot of uncertainty that we’re trying to figure out right now to see what the future holds. hold on. “
Between the burgeoning transfer portal that forces coaches to continually recruit their own players and the unspecified challenges regarding the potential to gain name, image, and likeness, it’s easy to see why Coaches might want to come out. The coronavirus pandemic also revealed that varsity athletics has a financial model capable of collapsing on short notice.
Former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has left the broadcast booth to join the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, becoming the third varsity coach in as many years to make the trip . Kliff Kingsbury moved from Texas Tech to the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 and Matt Rhule moved from Baylor to the Carolina Panthers in 2020.
Mullen certainly has the credentials, whether it’s turning Mississippi state into an occasional threat in the Southeastern Conference or helping the Gators become a championship contender again. His resume also includes a lot of work with NFL quarterbacks including Alex Smith, Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, and Dak Prescott. Former Florida quarterback Kyle Trask will be Mullen’s next QB coach. The Arkansas Feleipe Franks could also be a late-round pick.
Mullen has spent nearly three decades in the college ranks, including the past 16 years in the SEC powerhouse.
His last was arguably the most trying. He was reprimanded for his comments about wanting to “pack the swamp” after a loss to Texas A&M and cram 90,000 fans into Florida Field during a public health crisis.
He also stumbled after losing to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, insisting that the Florida squad’s last outing in 2020 was in the SEC title game. The Gators were without their top four receivers and three defensive starters against the Sooners, and Mullen praised the effort of his “scout team players,” comments that were seen as damaging Oklahoma’s victory. .
“There were probably times when I said things that, you know, maybe regrettable, that maybe didn’t go the right way, maybe got interpreted in a different way.” , Mullen said. “You always try to improve yourself, you always try to improve yourself and look at that. I think one of the things you have to do is look back and think and say, ‘Hey, at this point, this ‘is the right way to approach something?’ “
Mullen had other defining moments in 2020.
The SEC reprimanded him and fined him $ 25,000 after league officials decided he was doing more to ignite than to extinguish a tense situation against Missouri that led to a brawl in the mid- time on Halloween night. Mullen wore a Darth Vader costume to his post-game press conference, essentially welcoming the villain role.
He found himself in warmer water just before Christmas when the NCAA said Mullen had failed to “promote an atmosphere of compliance” for having prohibited contact with a rookie in Seattle and allowing contact prohibited with seven teams that stopped in Gainesville on their way to an event in Tampa.
The violations put Florida on probation in the NCAA for the first time in 30 years.
The show penalty also likely means no increase or extension for Mullen, who is 29-9 since replacing Jim McElwain after the 2017 season. He has three years left on a six-year, $ 36.6 million contract. which makes him the 10th highest paid coach in college football.
“Yeah, I don’t control that part, so I have to worry about what I’m controlling,” he said. “It could be in someone else’s press conference. That would be a good question for them.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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