Legendary former Florida Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley used to recite a quote from renowned diplomat and ex-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger when explaining whether or not it was the right time to fire a football coach.
“What must be done eventually should be done immediately,” Foley used to say.
Now, after the Gators embarrassing 40-17 loss to lowly South Carolina on Saturday night, it’s time for Foley’s successor, Scott Stricklin, to determine whether pulling the plug on UF coach Dan Mullen is a decision that is clearly inevitable or foolishly impulsive.
Personally, I would stay the course with Mullen for one more year. He has, after all, proven in the past at UF and Mississippi State, that he is a good head coach. However, you can certainly understand if Stricklin is having serious questions about whether Mullen has the ability and desire to do the things (see recruiting) he needs to do to salvage UF’s suddenly sinking program.
At the very least, we know maligned UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is toast after his defense was steamrolled and stampeded by one of the worst offenses in the country Saturday night. South Carolina’s offense came into the game ranked 114th in the nation, but shredded Grantham’s defense to the tune of 459 yards, 284 on the ground.
The fact is, you could explain away the other losses this season, but losing to South Carolina like this was inexplicable and inexcusable. The Gators came within a missed extra point of perhaps beating No. 1-ranked Alabama. They might have beaten Kentucky if not for a fluky blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown. They might have beaten LSU if not for 4 interceptions. And, of course, they were never going to beat No. 1 Georgia.
The Gators had actually outgained every opponent on their schedule until Saturday’s embarrassing, humiliating performance against the Gamecocks. Yes, there were some extenuating circumstances like a serious flu bug during the week that swept through the team and kept more than two dozen players out of practice.
In addition, UF’s new starting quarterback, redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson, missed the game while recovering from a concussion. Meanwhile, Emory Jones, who replaced Richardson in the starting lineup, played the game despite having the flu and a heavily taped thumb on his throwing hand.
But all teams must battle through injuries and sickness throughout the course of the season. Hell, South Carolina was down to its third-team quarterback, FCS transfer Jason Brown, who was making his first start. The Gamecocks still managed to manhandle Florida in a way that makes you wonder if the Gators have checked out on the season.
It was just a week ago, after getting clobbered by Georgia, that Mullen made a passionate postgame plea to his team about not giving up. He compared UF’s sinking season to a tug of war in which, “As the rope slips, you must hold on and squeeze as it’s burning, dig in your heels and start pulling in the other direction.”
As a team, it seems, the Gators all dropped the rope in unison on Saturday. Florida has lost three games in a row, have their first losing record (4-5) under Mullen and are on in serious jeopardy of missing a bowl game.
The downward spiral of the program has been mind-blowingly rapid. In his first three years, Mullen led UF to three New Year’s 6 bowl games and was given a lucrative contract extension in June. Just last year, the Gators beat Georgia, advanced to the SEC Championship Game and went toe to toe in it with No. 1-ranked Alabama.
But many of the playmakers on those UF teams — quarterback Kyle Trask, tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Kadarius Toney — were leftovers from the Jim McElwain era. And, now, Gator fans and administrators are having sobering doubts about whether Mullen and his staff have the recruiting skills to restock the roster with championship-caliber players.
Judging by the current recruiting rankings, Mullen faces an arduous climb to get back near the top of the SEC. Based on the current list of commitments, UF’s projected recruiting class is ranked 35th by Rivals.com, which puts UF at 12th in its own league. Of course, these are just projected rankings based on non-binding verbal commitments, but, still, such a low ranking is alarming.
Recruiting, of course, is the life blood of any college football program. If Mullen’s team is bad now and has little hope of getting significantly better in the future then what do you do?
“What must be done eventually should be done immediately.”
Scott Stricklin and UF’s administration now must figure out if pulling the plug on Dan Mullen is predetermined or premature.
