Report: Ex-Florida coach expected to join ESPN as analyst

Nov 20, 2021; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen on the sidelines against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Mullen will not be patrolling the sidelines as a head college football coach on Saturdays this fall, but he reportedly will not be too far removed from the game.

Action Network’s Brett McMurphy reported on Sunday that Mullen is expected to become an ESPN studio analyst for the upcoming college football season.

“Dan Mullen is considering an offer to join ESPN as a studio analyst & is expected to accept,” McMurphy tweeted. “The former Florida & Mississippi State coach has been a guest analyst for ESPN in the past.”

Dan Mullen is considering an offer to join ESPN as a studio analyst & is expected to accept, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. The former Florida & Mississippi State coach has been a guest analyst for ESPN in the past

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 31, 2022

Mullen coached the Gators for four seasons and was fired last November due to a disappointing 5-6 record. After coming up just short in a 31-29 loss to Alabama in September, Florida lost five of its next eight games prior to Mullen’s firing. Greg Knox was named interim head coach, and guided the Gators to a 24-21 win over Florida State in the team’s final regular season game. The school hired a former Louisiana Lafayette coach as Mullen’s permanent replacement in December.

While the 2021 season did not go well, Mullen’s first few years in Gainesville, Fla. were successful. In 2018, the Gators finished 10-3 and routed Michigan in the Peach Bowl. After a 11-2 season in 2019, Florida beat Virginia in the Orange Bowl.

Just because Mullen will likely accept a television role does not mean his coaching career is over. North Carolina head coach Mack Brown was hired by the school after working in an analyst role at ESPN following his departure from Texas in 2013.

Chances are that a job will open up in the not-too-distant future. And Mullen, with his success in the SEC, could be a solid candidate.