Scott Stricklin: Dan Mullen declined opportunity to coach against Florida State

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin made the executive decision Sunday morning to part ways with Florida’s head coach Dan Mullen, just one day after the Gators dropped to 5-6 on the season with a 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.

In the process, Stricklin revealed that Florida gave Mullen the opportunity to finish the regular season and coach one final game.

“I met with Coach Mullen shortly before noon today in his office, and we had a conversation. I just told him that we need to go a different direction for the Gators and our football program,” Stricklin said. “He understood, and it was actually a very productive conversation. Gave him the opportunity to coach the game Saturday against FSU, and after some discussion, he actually took some time to think about it — he made the decision that he thought he would be a bit of a distraction if he was around this week after this news came out. So, he made the decision to step away.”

In other words, Stricklin invited Mullen to finish the regular season and coach Saturday’s game against Florida State, a matchup in which both teams are seeking bowl eligibility, but Mullen declined the offer.

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.