South Florida expected to fire defensive coordinator

According to Matt Zenitz of On3 sports, South Florida is expected to fire defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer. He also coached linebackers and safeties, being with the Bulls since 2020.

South Florida currently has a 2-9 record with a rivalry game against UCF coming up. Their scoring defense has been one of the worst in the country, giving up 36.3 points per game. Florida A&M and Temples are the only teams to not score at least 28 points on the Bulls.

The final straw came on Saturday, losing 45-14 to Temple. South Florida’s losing streak was also extended to four games.

Spencer has been in coaching for over three decades, most notably being Oklahoma State’s defensive coordinator from 2011-2017. South Florida hired him away from Florida Atlantic, where he was even the interim head coach when Lane Kiffin left for Ole Miss.

Spencer the second coach from the state of Florida fired

Spencer was not the only coach fired from the state of Florida on Sunday. The Florida Gators announced Dan Mullen was going to be let go as the head coach.

Mullen released a statement after the official announcement was made.

“I want to thank UF President Dr. Fuchs, Scott Stricklin, the Board of Trustees, and Gator Nation for the privilege of being Head Football Coach at the University of Florida,” Mullen said on Twitter. “I will always cherish the two National Championships we won during my time at UF, along with the past three New Year’s Six Bowls to name a few. The program has a bright future ahead with the talent on the team and the new football facility that will be finished next spring. My family and I thank you for the honor of being your Head Football Coach.”

Recruiting was seen as one of the biggest issues in Gainesville under Mullen. Athletic director was asked if it was a factor in the firing, saying it was considered but was not the ultimate decision.

“We look at recruiting, and that’s a really important part of putting that team together,” Stricklin said. “We want someone that can attract the best staff to coach the best group of players and take advantage of all the incredible resources and advantages that are at the University of Florida.

“A lot of times, the losses — or things that don’t go right on the field — those are symptoms of other issues, and I’m not going to get into all of that because I don’t think that’s fair to everyone involved,” Stricklin said. “But there are a lot of little things that you have to pay attention to.”