Scott Stricklin addresses expectations at Florida following Dan Mullen's departure

Scott Stricklin decided Sunday morning that the time had come, and Florida would move on from head coach Dan Mullen after Saturday night’s 24-23 overtime loss to Missouri.

Mullen amassed a 34-15 record in four years at the helm, but he finished just 13-10 in the last two seasons. Stricklin held a press conference hours after the news was first reported and explained why Florida made the $12-million decision to move on from Mullen.

Meanwhile, Stricklin also addressed the expectations for Florida’s program moving forward, as it looks to replace Mullen at the helm.

“We’re going to use every available resource at our disposal whether it’s contacts or anythign else to get as much information to make the right decision,” Stricklin said. “It goes back to — this is a place where we want to win championships. We’ve won 251 SEC championships in our history as a university. That’s nearly 100 more than the next-closest SEC school. We won 41 national championships across all sports, three in the sport of football. We want someone that has high expectations and big aspirations that match the University of Florida, a place that’s a top-five public university. I think it’s easily a top-five athletic program. We want someone who wants to be a part of that and feels like they have a plan where they can come in and achieve at a high, high level and do so for a long period of time.”

Stricklin in his opening statement also revealed details of his initial conversation with Mullen. He said that he offered Mullen the opportunity to coach Florida’s upcoming rivalry game against Florida State, a game in which both teams are looking to claim bowl eligibility, but Mullen declined, saying he didn’t want to be a distraction for the team.

“I have some thoughts [on what I’m looking for], and I’m probably going to keep some of those thoughts to myself,” Stricklin said, when asked what he’s looking for in Florida’s next head coach. “But obviously, we want somebody going forward who can come in here and they share our high expectations for sustained success, and can do so at a place with great resources like the University of Florida.”

Mullen’s tenure at Florida took a turn for the worst

Florida won its first SEC East title since 2016 a year ago but lost 52-46 in the SEC championship and 55-20 in the Cotton Bowl. Since then, things have unraveled for Florida.

The Gators have dealt with issues on the recruiting trail. With six decommitments, including five from the 2022 class, Florida dropped to No. 20 in On3’s consensus team rankings.

Florida’s season has been in a tailspin since it nearly knocked off Alabama in September. The Gators are 3-5 since then and enter this week’s game against rival Florida State still looking for bowl eligibility.

The recent overtime loss to Mizzou is just the latest in a string of disappointments. The Gators lost 40-17 at South Carolina was arguably their worst, but they also suffered disappointing losses to Kentucky and LSU.

Following the 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 the loss.

Days after the loss in the Palmetto State, Florida struggled 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. But the second half was a different story as the Gators came away with the 70-52 victory.

Still, it was another low point for Mullen and Florida this season. And 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.

The decision to fire Mullen reportedly cost $12 million in buyout fees, not including the buyout fees of Mullen’s assistants and support staff, which is likely to run up the cost even further.