Former University of Florida head football coach Dan Mullen says that he gave university administrators a suggestion on who to hire to replace him, and it wasn't current coach Billy Napier.
Mullen suggested that Florida go after Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin instead.
"You know what's pretty funny? When I got let go at Florida a couple years ago, they asked me and I said, 'Hey, I'd go hire Lane Kiffin right now," Mullen told The Zach Gelb Show. "I said, '[If] you're going to get rid of me, I'd go hire Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss right now.' " "He kind of has that...a little bit of that...you know at Florida, they love points."
"He's going to continue the offense to run points. He's walking in with an Anthony Richardson...a top five draft pick at quarterback, so the program's in good shape offensively that way. There were some high powered receivers committed and on the roster, so I think he would have been a great fit right off the bat."
If Napier is let go at Florida, Kiffin has been an early name floated as a potential replacement for him in Gainesville. However, Mullen thinks Kiffin will be much more difficult to pry away from Ole Miss now after the success that he's had at the school.
"He's now gotten Ole Miss, you know, being in playoff contention. So I don't know if that's something that would interest him or not. You never know in the coaching profession why, maybe, someone is making a decision."
"They're gonna have their personal or whatever reason to do it, but I think a couple years ago he probably would have taken the job if it were offered to him."
.@CoachDanMullen revealed to me that when he got fired from Florida, he told Scott Stricklin to hire Lane Kiffin. @InfSportsNet @Lane_Kiffin pic.twitter.com/RxUaHhOMjA
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) September 19, 2024
Time will tell if (or when) Napier will be let go after a disappointing two-plus-year start to his tenure with the Gators. But if Kiffin is on the board, Mullen would certainly support that hire at his former employer.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dan Mullen Told Florida to Hire Someone Other Than Billy Napier After His Dismissal.
