Florida makes Dan Mullen news official, announces interim head coach

The Florida Gators confirmed the firing of fourth-year head coach Dan Mullen on Sunday afternoon. Athletics director Scott Stricklin will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the future of the program.

For starters, taking over for Mullen for the final week of the season is special teams coordinator/running backs coach Greg Knox. The Gators face Florida State on Saturday and both teams need one win to gain bowl eligibility.

“A veteran of 20-plus seasons in the SEC, including four at Florida, Knox has previously also served as interim coach at Mississippi State in 2017, leading the Bulldogs to a 31-27 win over Louisville in the TayxSlayer Bowl,” the press release stated.

Knox has coached at Florida, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Auburn in his 30-plus years in college football.

On Sunday, Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel revealed the details of Dan Mullen’s buyout agreement at Florida. According to Thamel, Florida will pay Mullen $12 million in buyout fees, not including buyouts to his assistant coaches and support staff, making it an expensive overhaul for the Gators. Notably, that the sum would not have decreased if Florida fired him next season.

Gators split with Dan Mullen

The Florida Gators have agreed to part ways with head coach Dan Mullen, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. After spending four seasons as offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2008, Mullen returned to Florida as head coach in 2018. Over four seasons, he put together a 34-15 record, but finished just 13-10 in the last two seasons.

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, Florida has dealt with issues on the recruiting trail. With six decommitments, including five from the 2022 class, the Gators have 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.

On3’s James Fletcher contributed to this report.