Dan Mullen explains why he is right man to win SEC titles at Florida

Dan Mullen knows the program expectations at Florida are to win SEC titles. In fact, that’s his personal expectation as a coach.

But the unfortunate fact is only two teams get that opportunity every season and the Gators won’t be one of them in 2021. Florida currently sits at 5-5 having lost three of its past four contests.

The struggles already resulted in the firings of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and running game coordinator/offensive line coach John Hevesy. As the losses pile up, Mullen is left to defend his own job title. He did just that Monday at his weekly press conference.

“I think our goal is to compete for SEC titles,” Mullen said That’s what the program goal is every single year. I’ve had a lot of success as a coach for 13 years in this league. I’ve won a lot of football games. I know how to win football games. I love being the head coach of the Gators. We’ve got great young guys that are willing to battle and fight no matter what the adversity is. I don’t know what else I’ve got for you other than that.”

Mullen has been the coach in Gainesville since 2018, with 34-14 record in that time frame. He led the Gators to a first-place finish in the SEC East division in 2020, but lost to Alabama in the conference title game. It is his only appearance in the SEC championship game with Florida.

Prior to becoming the Gators coach, he spent nine seasons leading Mississippi State, where he compiled a 69-46 overall record.

This year, we have seen plenty of teams let go of some of the most successful coaches, indicating that no name is safe. TCU parted ways with Gary Patterson, the winningest coach in school history who even has a statue outside the Horned Frogs stadium. SEC foe LSU announced that Ed Orgeron, who led the Tigers to a national championship a mere two seasons ago, would be out at the conclusion of the year.

It’s clear patience is running thin across the country, and many talking head believe Mullen could be the next victim. Florida’s defensive issues didn’t seem to improve after firing Grantham, as Samford scored 52 points — the most ever from an FCS school against an SEC opponent — on Saturday. The Gators defense has been abysmal over the past month, giving up an average of 43.8 points per game.

Florida will look to achieve bowl eligibility when it takes in Missouri at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday in Columbia. Although this year is lost, Dan Mullen will hope he gets to stick around to lead the Gators to SEC titles in the future.