Florida Football: 3 candidates who could replace Dan Mullen

It felt inevitable after losing to Missouri, but Florida football pulled the plug on the Dan Mullen era.

Mullen seemed to have the Gators turned around after first arriving, but a late-season losing streak to end 2020 carried over into this year and the Gators are sitting at 5-6 and at risk of missing a bowl game.

Mullen was hired in 2018 and immediately took the Gators to a New Year’s Six bowl game and things looked to be on the upswing in Gainesville. After winning another New Year’s Six game in 2019, the Gators entered 2020 with huge expectations. The first half of the season went well, but after a stunning defeat to LSU and a dreadful performance in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, Mullen started feeling some pressure.

After nearly upsetting Alabama earlier this season, the Gators seemed to fall off. Frustrations with a lack of results on the recruiting trail and some off-putting interviews really started to turn the heat up on Mullen. A terrible performance against Samford and a loss to a 5-5 Missouri team was the final straw for Mullen in Gainesville.

One of the top jobs in college football is now open. Florida has plenty of resources and is located in the most talent-rich state in the country. This team has the potential to be a national championship contender every season with the right coach. With the USC and LSU jobs also open, Florida may have to move fast and outbid those programs for the coach that they want.

Here are three candidates that Florida should consider to replace Mullen.