GAINESVILLE, Fla. Florida coach Dan Mullen finally admitted that he made some “regrettable” comments last year, nothing more than talking about – and doubling down – packing the team’s home stadium during a pandemic.
But Mullen made no apologies to keep quiet after people close to Mullen told ESPN they thought he would one day entertain the NFL.
“There are many rumors, but I haven’t spoken to anyone,” Mullen said on Tuesday during a Zoom interview session, two days before the start of the spring training.
48-year-old Mullen was specifically asked if he wants to finish in the pros, possibly after next season or further down the road.
“I’ll go about it this way: I think a lot of people are trying to figure out what the future of college football is going to hold and what it will look like in the future,” he said. “I love being here at the University of Florida. I think we have a great schedule. We have a great fan base, a great history and the opportunity to be a championship program every year.”
“I think there are concerns with coaches (about) what the future of college football will look like. … I think there’s a lot of uncertainty we’re trying to figure out right now to see what our future will be.”
Between the burgeoning transfer portal forcing coaches to constantly recruit their own players and the unspecified challenges of earning a name, image, and likeness, it’s easy to see why coaches might want to get out. The coronavirus pandemic has also exposed the university’s athletics as it has a financial model that could crumble in the short term.
Former Florida and Ohio state coach Urban Meyer left the broadcast booth to join the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars to become the third college coach in as many years to make the move. Kliff Kingsbury went from Texas Tech to the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 and Matt Rhule jumped from Baylor to the Carolina Panthers in 2020.
Mullen certainly has the credentials, whether it’s building Mississippi State into an incidental threat in the Southeastern Conference or helping the Gators become champions 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 the next Mullen-coached QB to be drafted. Arkansas’ Feleipe Franks could also be a late pick.
Mullen has spent nearly three decades in the ranks of the university, including the last 16 years in the powerhouse SEC.
His last was perhaps the most difficult. He was charged with comments that he wanted to “take the swamp” after a loss to Texas A&M and stuffing 90,000 fans into Florida Field during a public health crisis.
He also stumbled upon Oklahoma’s loss in the Cotton Bowl, insisting that the final outing for the Florida team in 2020 actually get into the SEC title game. The Gators were without their top four receivers and three defensive starters against the Sooners, and Mullen praised the efforts of his “ scout team players, ” comments considered a distraction from Oklahoma’s victory.
“There have probably been a few times when I said things that, you know, might be regrettable, might not come in the right way, might have been interpreted in a different way,” Mullen said. “You’re always trying to improve, you’re always trying to get better and look at that. I think one of the things you should do is look back and think and say, ‘Hey, that’s the right way at that point. to approach something? “
Mullen had other chilling moments in 2020.
The SEC rebuked him and fined him $ 25,000 after federal officials decided he was doing more than rooting out a tense situation against Missouri that led to a halftime brawl on Halloween night. Mullen wore a Darth Vader costume to his post-game press conference, essentially welcoming the role of the villain.
He found himself in warmer water just before Christmas, when the NCAA said Mullen had failed to “ promote an atmosphere of compliance ” because he had unauthorized contact with a Seattle recruit and allowed unauthorized contact with seven teams who stopped in Gainesville on their way to an event in Tampa.
The violations put Florida on NCAA probation for the first time in 30 years.
The show cause penalty is also unlikely to mean an increase or extension for Mullen, who is 9-9 since replacing Jim McElwain after the 2017 season. He has three years to go on a six-year contract, $ 36.6 million , making him the 10th highest paid coach in college football.
“Yes, I don’t control that part of it so I have to worry about what I’m managing,” he said. ‘That could be someone else’s press conference. That would be a good question for them. ‘
The Associated Press contributed to this report.