New Florida football coach Dan Mullen and his family arrived at Gainesville Airport this morning. He did the Gator Chomp while stepping down from the jet.
“We’re fired up,” said Mullen, who wore his 2008 UF national championship ring. “Let’s go meet some players.”
On his Twitter account, Mullen wrote: “It’s GREAT to be a Florida Gator! #GoGators”
UF will introduce its 27th head football coach at a 3 p.m a news conference today at the stadium. The SEC Network will air the news conference.
Mullen, who spent the past nine seasons as Mississippi State’s head coach (2009-17), returns to Gainesville where he served four seasons (2005-08) as offensive coordinator and was a major factor in the program winning two Southeastern Conference and BCS National Titles (2006, 2008) during his tenure.
When asked what was the first thing Mullen did once inside the stadium, a source said, He “picked up the phone in his new office and started calling recruits.”
Mullen will meet with UF players at 2 p.m. He is also scheduled to appear on the Paul Finebaum Show on ESPN2 after the player meeting.
#Gators @CoachDanMullen arrives in Gainesville for the first time as head coach to greet @ScottStricklin pic.twitter.com/0RAUTnqGP6
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) November 27, 2017
welcome home coach. we missed you!
Yeah!! Go Gators!!
Wasn’t my first choice, but like that he seems to be fired up about this. Welcome back to Gville, Coach. Let’s get this thing back on track!
Welcome home coach !
Drain the Swamp ! it is infested with a culture of losing.
I do wish Coach Mullen nothing but SUCCESS here at Florida. Since my childhood here in Hogtown in the 1970’s, all I’ve wanted is to watch Florida Football win championships (S.E.C. and National’s) in football.
He does that (S.E.C East for starters) and I am all-in and on board! My main concern is Mullen’s preference for running Q.B.s, who get hurt often (an Urban offense), over a passing Q.B., like a Spurrier-type offense. There’s my concern, Coach. ”GO GATORS!” Get back that ”rama-jama”!
If you go back and look at the years SOS was most successful at USCe, it was when he had a qb who could run as well as pass. The college game is different now than in the days of the “fun ‘n gun,” and even SOS had to adjust his offense to the new landscape. I hope that Mullen doesn’t run his qbs too often now, but it is an important part of the game. Even Bama is doing it with Hurts.
If read Urbans book it’s actually Mullens offensive scheme that he has used since the Bowling Green Day’s. Mullen has collected a nice stable of QBs in his time. Go Gators!
Mullen was his QB coach at BG and at Utah. He was a grad assistant before that. He wasnt an OC until he got to UF, so I dont see how it was mullens offense when Meyer had a different OC at BG, it was that guys offense!
I believe Mullen adapts to the available talent, witness Chris Leak at QB for the natty in 2006. With the Bama-like stable of RBs that will be here, and the fact that current Gator Jake Allen and incoming Gator Matt Corral are both pro-style QBs, I thin you need to wait and see.
You might just be surprised.
Good luck, coach! I wish you the best.
Guy wants to be a Gator. Nuff said.
Great hire. Welcome back, Coach.
Welcome home, coach.
Our long football nightmare is over! Yes, I wanted Kelly. Yes, I was WRONG, stupid even. Mullen is the obvious solution here and neither Kelly nor Frost are close.
Kelly was a bases-empty, PR home run hire. Mullen is a bases-loaded triple. Kelly took a loaded Oregon program and kept it near or at the top of a very weak PAC 10. Mullen was the genius we wrongly believed Urban Meyer to be. MULLEN was the engineer of “Meyer’s” ingenious offenses at both Utah and Florida. Mullen got sick of Meyer getting all the credit (and money) for Mullen’s innovations and he left. When he left, Urban’s program started circling the drain almost immediately. Urban knows how to pick loaded programs the success for which he can take credit.
It was also Mullen who produced Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott, Nick Fitzgerald, and even Cam Newton. Kelly? Not sure. Scott Frost was the architect and engineer of Kelly’s offenses and Kelly’s QB whisperer. When Frost left, so did the “Ws” for Oregon. Frost also did not follow Kelly to the NFL and what happened there?
Mullen understands the SEC, knows exactly what is required to win in the nation’s most competitive conference. Kelly does not. Mullen took a perennial loser in Mississippi State and turned it into a very respectable program in the toughest division of the college game’s most competitive conference. Kelly has never done anything of the kind.
Kelly may have been a PR “home run”, but the Mullen hire emptied the bases and will bring Florida AT LEAST one NC. I would not bet $5.00 that Kelly will ever win a championship. Mullen could be our coach for the next 12 years and win several NC’s.
Good work team AD and Coach Mullen!
Good post and summarizes how many of feel about the hiring of Coach Mullen.
Great to have you back coach!
GREAT POST!! Les
Don’t forget Alex Smith at Utah
LES: Mullen wasnt Meyer’s OC at utah, he was the QB coach so it wasnt mullen’s offense meyer used at utah. Having said that it was at UF since Mullen became meyer’s OC when he got here. Also Meyer was toast once he got Addazio calling plays like Nuss does once Mullen left
Also Mullen didnt get “sick” of Meyer getting the credit! Mullen got his own chance to be a HC which all coaches aspire for and he took it, it wasnt about credit!
Coach Mullen knows he wasn’t the first contacted, but is the most suited and experienced for the challenge of rebuilding the Gators. Getting a QB and coaching him up will solve many of the teams issues. It won’t be all defense any more.
Welcome Mr & Ms Mullen!
Gator Nation missed you more than you can imagine. Try and be patient with us…..it’s been a dry spell for far too long and we have gotten cranky.
Gator nation needs to go out of our way to show Coach Mullen and his family lots of love. We are very fortunate to have them back in Gainesville. It’s a great time to be a Gator!!
AMEN!!! well said.
awesome!!! welcome home Coach~!!!!
Bring the O back to the swamp….
I’m one of those fans who’s on the fence regarding Coach Mullen.
When you see where various standings under his helm are they’re in the 40s.
Quite frankly, any one is better than McElwain and to a lesser degree Muschamp.
I just hope we don’t have another year or two of mediocrity.
Lastly, finding a quarterback should be Coach Mullen’s priority, and if I recall McElwain was to be the “man who had an eye” for picking one. What a farce that turned out to be.
With that said, welcome aboard Coach Mullen…GO GATORS 2018…
Thank you Gator nation for some positive comments for a change. Coach mullen was my 1st Choice and the best choice..all of you who are disgruntled with the hire..go buy some ucla gear and cheer on the bruins next year..we don’t need you anyway
Dan Mullen was and is my first choice – great fit for the Florida Gators, proven track record, capable of getting us back to elite status – GO GATORS!!!