SDS: Is Dan Mullen the most overrated coach in America?

BMF

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First and 10: Is Dan Mullen the most overrated coach in America?

First and 10: Is Dan Mullen the most overrated coach in America?

1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but …
It’s time to reevaluate the idea that Florida’s Dan Mullen is 1 of the 10 best coaches in college football.

You’ve heard it all by now, those same regurgitated talking points that have fortified the résumé of a coach who has never won a conference championship, yet is held in the same high regard as those with national titles.

A great football mind. A quarterback guru. The best play-caller in college football. A coach the NFL wants.

“There’s so much that goes into hiring a coach, but at the top of the list is, can you recruit and can you win games that matter?” a Power 5 AD told me Sunday. “I’m not sure what any of that other stuff means.”

Maybe we can help.

The great football mind is 2-6 in his past 8 games against Power 5 teams.

The quarterback guru has been playing the wrong quarterback for the past 2 games, and further mismanagement could cost Florida a generational talent (more on that later).

The best play-caller in college football had 6 points in the first half against an LSU defense that was missing 6 – yes, 6! – starters before one of those young replacement cornerbacks blew a Hail Mary coverage and gifted the Gators a touchdown.

A coach the NFL wants blew the biggest offseason decision, keeping embattled defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, whose unit in 2020 was statistically the worst in school history – and somehow played worse against LSU.

More than anything, a top-10 coach in college football doesn’t have a 6-7 record vs. ranked teams and isn’t 2-8 vs. the 4 SEC coaches in the same salary zip code (Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Jimbo Fisher, Ed Orgeron).

It’s the last coach of that group, the recently fired Orgeron — and the past 2 games against LSU — that are beginning to expose the shell game that is the narrative of Mullen as a top-10 coach.

Orgeron and LSU beat Mullen and Florida in 2020 as a double-digit underdog, and with less than 55 scholarship players available because of injury and COVID policy. The Tigers had a freshman quarterback making his first start, and the Gators were an undisciplined mess despite having better talent at most positions (and specifically, the most important positions) on the field.

LSU did it again last weekend, winning as a double-digit underdog in the face of – if this is possible – significantly greater obstacles. The Tigers are a mess, Orgeron’s job security was tenuous (he was forced out Sunday but will coach the rest of the season) and the defense was gutted.

LSU was 127th in the nation in rushing offense going into the game (88.3 ypg.), and ran for 321 yards. Tailback Tyrion Davis-Price had 288 yards in 5 previous games, and had 287 and 3 TDs on 36 carries – much of it coming on the same counter trey play Florida couldn’t stop. Over and over and over again.

More disturbing, an NFL scout who was at the game told me Florida “looked like they didn’t want to be there for the first half.”

And the Florida defense? “They had no idea what they were doing against, honestly, a basic run play that can be stopped any number of ways – the easiest being effort,” the scout said.

That’s a bad look, ladies and gentlemen.

That’s the look of a team playing out a string, a team whose season had reached desperation 2 weeks earlier with another loss to another heavy underdog. This time it was Kentucky, which before Mullen arrived at Florida in 2018, had lost 27 straight to the Gators.

The Wildcats have now won 2 of the past 4 meetings.

That was Mullen smiling and yukking it up with his friend, UK coach Mark Stoops, after the game – after his team had just been all but eliminated from the SEC race, and after the best play-caller in college football ate nearly 90 seconds at the end of the first half of a one-possession game.

After the game, Mullen was asked if he were outcoached by Stoops, whose team had 211 total yards, ran 47 plays, completed 7 passes and converted 1-of-9 3rd downs.

“No. 382 yards, I guess that’s sputtering,” Mullen said. “We had 382 and they had 211.”

Yeah, the NFL must be beating down the door in Gainesville to hire Mullen.

2. What could’ve been …
There were some within the Florida administration who were privately hoping Mullen would get an NFL job after last season.

It’s nearly impossible to fire a coach who won 29 games in his first 3 seasons and led all 3 teams to New Year’s 6 bowls. But after Mullen’s off-field NCAA violations put Florida on probation for the first time in 3 decades, and after 3 public embarrassments during 3 separate postgame press conferences, there were some dicey moments last offseason in the evaluation of the program.

Instead, Mullen received a 3-year contract extension and a $1.5 million a year raise – his reward for (not necessarily on this order) NCAA probation, a head coach show-cause edict from the NCAA, 3 straight losses to finish the season and a Heisman Trophy finalist in QB Kyle Trask.

That, more than anything, is where the Mullen narrative was born and has been nurtured over the years: He’s a quarterback guru.

From Josh Harris at Bowling Green, to Alex Smith at Utah, to Tim Tebow at Florida, to Dak Prescott at Mississippi State, to Trask. He developed them, they won games and some won championships.

Only there’s one teeny-weeny problem: Smith led an unbeaten season at Utah under coach Urban Meyer and with Mullen as offensive coordinator. Tebow won 2 national titles.

Trask’s most memorable game as a Mullen starter? A win over Georgia, or a near win over Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

Prescott set nearly every Mississippi State passing record and led the Bulldogs to the No. 1 ranking in 2014. That team also lost to Alabama and rival Ole Miss to end the season.

The argument isn’t necessarily against Mullen as a successful coach. It’s against Mullen as 1 of the top 10 coaches in college football.

And a coach Florida should continue throwing millions at.

3. The great football mind, The Epilogue
The quarterback guru is in his most precarious spot yet at the most important position on the field.

Anthony Richardson is the best quarterback on the Florida roster, a unique talent with a rare skill-set who can elevate the program to the top of the SEC for the first time since 2008.

At one point during the LSU game, former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi tweeted, “I’d buy stock in Richardson to be a very high draft pick in three years. Wow.”

The question: For which college team?

Richardson told Gators Territory after the LSU loss that “time is the only thing that can tell, but right now, I’m a Gator.” Hours later on Twitter, he clarified his comments and said he’s not going anywhere.

If you believe he’s not considering transferring if he doesn’t start, you also believe Mullen wasn’t outcoached by Stoops.

If neither Richardson nor Emory Jones gives you confidence managing the offense, it’s an easy choice – especially with the state of the SEC East Division race – to play the better player.

Richardson sees the field and throws with anticipation. The offense moves with rhythm and consistency – even if there are mistakes and/or turnovers.

Jones struggles to throw on time, and is often late (the last play of the Kentucky game, a TD if thrown on time, a perfect example). And there are turnovers – 2 interceptions against LSU that led to 14 points (one a pick-6).

You don’t have to be a former NFL personnel executive to see Mullen had been playing the wrong quarterback.

Or as one NFL scout told me Sunday, “One of those guys will play quarterback in our league, the other won’t.”
 

Tunaboat

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We could hire a high school coach for $200K and his D coordinator (if he has one) for $100K and likely get better results.
 

BMF

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He aint worth 7.6 million dollars

What I don't get with this grotesque salary is the law of 'supply & demand' (it's even more so with Grantham's salary). It was just proven that NOBODY was trying to hire away Mullen to the NFL...so we give him a 25% raise, making him the 5th highest paid coach in CFB - with ZERO championships to speak of. And Grantham, making $1.8 million/year - a top 10 salary among CFB assistant coaches - and NOBODY is trying to hire him away...NOBODY wants him. If/when (hopefully) he leaves UF, my guess is he retires from football, he becomes an analyst somewhere, or becomes an NFL position coach for a few years until he's 'let go'. WHY are we paying him $1.8 million??
 

jdh5484

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I never thought I would want another coach at UF fired as much as I wanted Muschamp canned.

I want Mullen fired. I'm pretty sure I want Strickland fired too. Maybe the College Prez too.

Off with their heads.
 

Swamp Donkey

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No athletic director except Stricklin ever thought he was worth hiring.
 

Swamp Donkey

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7-14 vs P5 Fire Stricklin First
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t-gator

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No athletic director except Stricklin ever thought he was worth hiring.
It's funny as shcit. We watched Tennessee get turned down by atleast 20-25 coaches publicly. Even coordinators said no thanks. None of this is an exaggeration. They never once considered Mullen lol
 

soflagator

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I never thought I would want another coach at UF fired as much as I wanted Muschamp canned.

I want Mullen fired. I'm pretty sure I want Strickland fired too. Maybe the College Prez too.

Off with their heads.

I posted something similar on Saturday. Never thought anyone would outpace how badly I wanted WM gone. Mainly because I turned in mid-2011, so I had so much time to consider it. And Maybe McElwain didn’t have enough time to get there or he’d be in the discussion as well. But Mullen is now right there.

And I think this administration better realize that when you have the type of arrogance currently on display, and fans are calling for his head, he won’t go peacefully or gracefully. If they don’t get a handle on this and make a move quickly, Mullen is the type that will absolutely go scorched earth in his way out.
 

MJMGator

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I posted something similar on Saturday. Never thought anyone would outpace how badly I wanted WM gone. Mainly because I turned in mid-2011, so I had so much time to consider it. And Maybe McElwain didn’t have enough time to get there or he’d be in the discussion as well. But Mullen is now right there.

And I think this administration better realize that when you have the type of arrogance currently on display, and fans are calling for his head, he won’t go peacefully or gracefully. If they don’t get a handle on this and make a move quickly, Mullen is the type that will absolutely go scorched earth in his way out.
I still feel we HAVE to get a new AD in place first. I just have no confidence in Stricklin making a good hire.
 

NoPumper666

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Lol like clockwork when UF admin decides it’s time for someone to go the hit pieces start rolling out and suddenly people wanted him gone all along… what a joke Gator media coverage is. We all see right through it.
 

Zodiac

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he needs to fire grantham immediately. it's embarrassing how bad the defense has been under his control. how many games have we lost despite the offense scoring 35+ points? i don't understand this amount of patience for a defensive coordinator that hasn't earned it with a proven track record.
 

GatorInGeorgia

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Just to correct one point in the article, QB “Whisperer” Mullen wasn’t even the Utah OC for their unbeaten season in 2004, Mike Sanford was.

Maybe Sanford should get the credit for Utah’s performance on the offensive side of the ball that season, not position coach Mullen.
 

Detroitgator

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Let me sum up the parties that have now turned on Dan Mullen, and I'm tellin' ya fellas, the last one is the most significant...
  1. Boosters, Bull Gators, season ticket holders.
  2. Fan base.
  3. Media clearly shifted this weekend from "holes in the dyke" with Edgar to "the damn has burst" with this piece.
  4. Now here is the "odd barometer" one that I think is really important, because it is almost 100% Mom's (think Megan Mullen types) who reflexively defend what they perceive to be a "he's a good person" type... On Facebook, I belong to the "UF Class of 2022 Parents", "UF Class of 2024 Parents," and "Group For University Of Florida Parents & Families." All three are private groups for parents/families. All three are official UF administered pages staffed by full time advisors that are INCREDIBLY helpful answer questions on anything you can think of student related. It's almost all Mom's, and they do like football/sports and always post all kinds of pre-game stuff their kids are doing, blah, blah, blah. Well HO LEE FUK did all three pages explode during the game, and especially on Sunday! You'd think these mom's were "cutting and pasting" from GatorChatter regarding the bum Grantham at first, the whole EJ vs AR thing, but on Sunday, full on "Dan's gotta go now!" Adding in for Son #1 with "UF Class of 2020," I've been on these pages for 5 years now and NEVER seen anything like this...
Dan has lost the Mom's... you never want to lose the Mom's... When Mom's switch from posting pics of their daughters $2000 decorated dorm room to "FIRE THAT BUM!", you have crossed the Rubicon. Dan has gone "full retard," and as we all know, one never goes full retard!

Good luck Dan!
 

MJMGator

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he needs to fire grantham immediately. it's embarrassing how bad the defense has been under his control. how many games have we lost despite the offense scoring 35+ points? i don't understand this amount of patience for a defensive coordinator that hasn't earned it with a proven track record.
That ship has sailed. When he didn’t fire him last year, he made the decision to go down in flames with him.
 

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