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Florida coach Dan Mullen is open to making a jump to the NFL, per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter, making an appearance on “Sunday NFL Countdown,” said the Gators’ third-year coach is “open to going” to the NFL amid a flurry of coaching changes and vacancies: The Lions, Falcons and Texans have already fired their coaches, with the Chargers, Jets and Jaguars, among other teams, potentially firing their head men as well.
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Mullen, for his part, said he hasn’t actively thought of coaching in the NFL.
“It’s not something I’ve thought about,” Mullen said ahead of the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 30 (via the Orlando Sentinel). “If it’s something as opportunities present themselves — like everything in the world — you take things as they come and you visit them and you reflect at where you are in your life. Very much like we have a lot of players that are deciding to move onto the NFL.”
The move would come as a surprise, considering Mullen — who just finished his 12th year as a college head coach — has no NFL experience. He coached the Mississippi State Bulldogs from 2009 to 2017, leading them to a 69-46 combined record and 5-2 bowl record. He then took over at Florida in 2018 after having served as the team’s offensive coordinator from 2005-08. The Gators are 29-9 under Mullen through three seasons, including 2-1 in bowl games.
Mullen isn’t the only college lifer considering making a first-time jump to the NFL: his former coach, Urban Meyer, has been the subject of several coaching rumors, most notably in Jacksonville.
Whether either of those coaches — or both — decides to make that jump remains to be seen.
