MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Florida Gators pumps up the crowd prior to the start of the Capital One Orange Bowl against the Virginia Cavaliers at Hard Rock Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)It looks like there was a little more than mere rumors that Florida head coach Dan Mullen is looking to jump to the NFL. According to Claudio Bellofatto of WCJB in Gainesville, Mullen is set to interview with the New York Jets over the next few days.
The Jets have already interviewed Eric Bieniemy, Marvin Lewis and Robert Saleh for the position vacated this past Sunday.
Mullen has never coached in the NFL himself but is widely considered a quarterback guru. He is credited with the development of Alex Smith and Dak Prescott en route to their NFL stardom. He also helped turn Tim Tebow into a Heisman Trophy winner and Kyle Trask into a Heisman finalist.
In 12 head coaching seasons, nine at Mississippi State and three at Florida, Mullen is 98-55 with five top-25 finishes. He has seven bowl wins and just two losing seasons.
But the three-game losing streak that Mullen finished this season on caused portions of the fanbase to turn on him. A simple glance at the comments section – largely filled with angry Jets fans – also has a number of Florida fans empathizing with them or wishing Mullen good riddance.
According to a source, Gators head coach Dan Mullen has an interview with the NY Jets in the next few days.
— Claudia Bellofatto (@CBellofattoTV) January 9, 2021
But New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas has pledged to cast a wide net in picking a head coach. Mullen joins an interview list filled to the brim with top coordinators, former head coaches and allegedly college coaches too.
Douglas is clearly keeping an open mind through this process, even with the way Mullen disappointingly finished this past year with the Gators.
If nothing else, Mullen definitely has the kind of personality that New Yorkers often love. He’s bombastic, aggressive, a motivator and outspoken. Kind of like the last head coach the Jets had who led them to the playoffs…
Would Dan Mullen be a good candidate for the New York Jets?
