Former Gators HC listed as candidate for Mississippi State opening

TV analyst and former head coach Dan Mullen could return to the sidelines to take over the Mississippi State position.

Is there a chance that former Florida Gators head coach [autotag]Dan Mullen[/autotag] could be the next selection to lead the Mississippi State Bulldogs? CBS Sports seems to believe so.

College football writer Barrett Sallee says there’s a potential that Mullen could jump ship from his TV analyst career and return to the sidelines, but to his other former job in Starkville, Mississippi.

“Athletic Director Zac Selmon has to make this call, right?” Sallee wrote. “Mullen elevated the program from an anonymous punching bag in the SEC West into a team that was not only relevant but a perennial division title contender.

“The Bulldogs had only been to 13 bowl games prior to Mullen’s arrival in 2009,” Sallee continued. “Under his leadership, they went to seven straight bowls (2010-16) during his eight-year stint. They were ranked No. 1 in the first-ever College Football Playoff Rankings in 2014 behind star quarterback Dak Prescott.

“Mullen went 34-18 in four years at Florida (2018-21), which included an SEC East title in 2020. He has been working in television since Florida dismissed him with one game remaining in the 2021 regular season.”

Mullen was fired by Scott Striklin before the end of the 2021 season when the team finished with a 6-7 record and a loss to the UCF Knights in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Sallee also listed Kansas head coach Lance Leipold and SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.