Florida football: Will firing of Todd Grantham save Dan Mullen’s job?

A year ago, Florida football coach Dan Mullen was spotted on the sidelines chewing out Todd Grantham after some poor defense early in a November game against Kentucky.

Florida went on to win 34-10 after some early defensive struggles, but that sideline shouting match caught some headlines and made it seem like there was some trouble in paradise. Florida was still in the SEC title hunt, but its defense was the issue.

After a 4-5 start to the 2021 season, Mullen decided to part ways with Grantham who just surrendered 40 points to South Carolina in a blowout loss just two weeks after giving up 49 points to LSU in a tough loss. The Gators have lost three in a row, giving up at least 34 in each game, and now four out of the past five games have ended in defeat.

Just a year after winning the SEC East, Mullen is on the hot seat and the 40-17 loss to South Carolina was darn near a firable offense.

So he did what many had been clamoring for ever since last year and fired Grantham this week, along with his offensive line coach, but is this going to be enough to save his job?

Is Mullen’s job safe with Florida football?

I think with Mullen recruiting at a high level and making the SEC title game a year ago, he’s at least earned another year, especially considering he could hire a top defensive coordinator in the offseason.

If he does that and the defense improves drastically and Florida is back in the SEC title conversation next year, Mullen will have proven himself worthy of the job.

Grantham was holding this team back after years of mediocre defense and Mullen finally made the right move. Was it too little, too late? Not quite yet, but this season is a loss and while it would have been wise to make this move before the year, it shows that Mullen is serious about winning and keeping this job.

I have a hard time believing that Mullen would be fired after one bad season, especially since he made the right move before the end of the year. His job should be safe and this was a positive move that the athletic department likely needed to see happen.