Report: Dan Mullen officially joins ESPN as studio analyst for 2022 college football season
Dan Mullen had a disappointing end to his second stint as a football coach in the SEC. After starting his career 29-9 with the Florida Gators, 2021 saw him go 5-6 in Gainesville. He and the school eventually parted ways and he then reportedly took an OC job with Lake Oconee Academy in Greensboro, Georgia.
That may not be happening now based on a report from Action Network’s Brett McMurphy. McMurphy says Mullen will instead join the broadcast crew at ESPN for this upcoming college football season.
Mullen made two head coaching stops in the SEC with Mississippi State and Florida. He went 69-46 over nine seasons with the Bulldogs before heading to Gainesville. Mullen has guest appeared on different network shows over the years which, based on this report, now seems to have paid dividends now that things with Florida didn’t work out.
Dan Mullen’s ending at Florida was a tailspin
Florida’s 2021 season plummeted after it nearly knocked off Alabama in September. The Gators went 3-5 from there on.
An overtime loss to Missouri was one knock in a string of disappointments. The Gators 40-17 loss at South Carolina was arguably their worst but they also suffered disappointing losses to Kentucky and LSU last season
Following their embarrassment against South Carolina, Mullen fired defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and run-game coordinator/offensive line coach John Hevesy. The moves were expected following the season but Mullen fast-tracked his decision following that loss.
Florida then went on to struggle against FCS Samford. The Gators trailed 42-35 at halftime, scoring more points in one half than Alabama, Kentucky or Tennessee did in four quarters this year against Florida. The second half was a different story as the Gators came away with the 70-52 victory, but the damage was already done.
It was yet another low point for Mullen and Florida last season. In the locker room following the close win, the Gators raised some eyebrows with their celebration. Samford’s 52 points were the most an FCS team has ever scored against an SEC team. That was the final nail in the coffin for Mullen last season and that looks to be the case for the forseeable future with his hiring at ESPN.