Florida is finalizing a deal to make Dan Mullen its next head coach, sources told ESPN.
Mullen has been the coach at Mississippi State since 2009. His 69-46 record for the Bulldogs makes him the second-winningest coach in school history, behind only Jackie Sherrill. The Bulldogs are 8-4 (4-4 SEC) this season.
Without saying that Mullen was heading to Florida, Mississippi State president Mark Keenum issued a statement on his status Sunday.
"We've built a football program at Mississippi State that has enjoyed unprecedented success over the last nine seasons. Dan Mullen has been the catalyst of that success and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors," he said. "It's a tribute to Dan and to MSU that he has drawn the interest of several premier football programs around the country. Dan's tenure at MSU coincides with my own and we've had a chance to do some special things together for our loyal fans and friends."
Mississippi State is set to play in its eighth straight bowl game, a streak that began in Mullen's second season at the school.
Mullen, 45, was a part of two national championship teams at Florida in 2006 and 2008 as Urban Meyer's offensive coordinator. Along with coaching quarterback Tim Tebow at Florida, Mullen also coached Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith at Utah and Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott at Mississippi State. Mullen also worked with current Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin when the AD was leading the athletic department in Starkville, Mississippi.
Mullen was also being considered for the Tennessee job. The Vols are finalizing a deal to name Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano their coach, a source confirmed to ESPN on Sunday.
Florida had previously considered UCF's Scott Frost, who is considered a top target for the Nebraska head-coaching job after leading the Knights to an 11-0 regular season. The Gators also targeted former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, whom UCLA hired on Saturday.
The Gators have been seeking a replacement for former coach Jim McElwain, whose teams won SEC East titles in 2015 and 2016. McElwain was fired on Oct. 29, the day after the Gators lost to Georgia 42-7 to drop their record to 3-4. He had a 22-12 record in two-plus seasons at Florida.
The Gators lost three of their last four games under interim coach Randy Shannon to finish 4-7, only their second losing season since 1979.
Information from ESPN's Mark Schlabach and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Read Again http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21572374/florida-gators-finalizing-deal-make-mississippi-state-dan-mullen-coachBagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Mississippi State's Dan Mullen finalizing deal with Florida"
Post a Comment