Florida fires Dan Mullen as head coach after dropping to 2-6 in SEC play

The Florida Gators fired Dan Mullen on Sunday afternoon, according to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, a day after the team lost 24-23 to the Missouri Tigers in overtime.

Mullen, 49, became Florida's coach in 2018 after nine seasons as Mississippi State's head coach. The Gators won the Peach Bowl and Orange Bowl in Mullen's first two seasons at the helm, and lost in the Cotton Bowl a year ago. Despite three consecutive appearances in New Years' Six bowl games, a disappointing 2021 campaign cost Mullen his job.

The Gators started the year 2-0 and were No. 11 in the AP Poll when they lost, 31-29, to the Alabama Crimson Tide. While Florida bounced back with a 38-14 win over the Tennessee Volunteers, the season began to unravel with a loss to Kentucky. After beating Vanderbilt, Florida lost four consecutive SEC games, including a blowout 40-17 loss to South Carolina.

"I mean, we’re out there trying. We’re giving it everything we have, every single week," Mullen said after the Saturday loss to Missouri, via 247Sports. "We go in there, try to coach our guys up, try to put them in position. Try to motivate them. I think our guys, like I said, our guys have got a great attitude this whole year. At practice guys come out, they work. I mean, it’s pretty unfortunate. It’s tough."

Mullen received a three-year contract extension from Florida earlier this year that reportedly pushed his buyout to $12 million, which the university will now have to pay.

Florida will conclude their season with a game against in-state rival Florida State on Saturday.