Dan Mullen pulls telling social media move on his former teams

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

Two of Dan Mullen’s former teams faced off on Saturday in SEC play, and the former head coach was definitely feeling like he had something of a point to prove during the game.

Mississippi State hosted Florida for each team’s SEC opener on Saturday, and the two schools, coincidentally, are Mullen’s two most recent head coaching stops. Notably, both programs are struggling, with the Bulldogs entering at 1-2 and the Gators’ issues under Billy Napier being well-documented.

Mullen is now an ESPN analyst, and the network made good use of that during its coverage. As part of its trivia segment, ESPN pointed out that Mullen was behind each school’s most recent double-digit win season. That was amplified on X by ESPN host Matt Barrie, and Mullen did not miss the chance to amplify it further by reposting it via his own account.

Mullen certainly wants some respect, and there is probably an element of told-you-so to it as well.

The Gators were 5-6 when Mullen was dismissed in 2021 in a move that shocked a lot of observers. He went 34-15 overall at Florida, the sort of track record they would be desperate to get now. One can hardly blame Mullen for being a bit smug about things, especially since he has previously indicated he still has some hard feelings over his dismissal.