Florida football: Extending Dan Mullen was a no-brainer

The University of Florida and head football coach Dan Mullen agreed to a contract extension today.

Mullen, who is entering his fourth year as the head man for the Florida Gators, signed a three-year contract extension that keeps him in Florida through the 2026 football season. Mullen will also see a nice bump in his salary, as his annual salary went from $6.1 million to $7.6 million, a $1.5 million raise.

After being ranked the No. 10 coach in the nation by CBS Sports, Mullen’s salary would put him as the No. 5 salary on the list for highest-paid coaches per year. Mullen is also now the third highest-paid SEC coach, trailing only Ed Orgeron ($8.7 million) and obviously Nick Saban ($9.1 million).

In a statement (via ESPN), Mullen said, “We are very excited about the future of the Florida football program, and this agreement allows us to continue to build on the success we have enjoyed on and off the field.”

Mullen is 29-9 as Florida’s head coach, with two New Year’s Six bowl victories in three appearances, so his success has played a significant role in this extension.

Florida fans should be thankful for Dan Mullen.

This was an excellent move for the Gators and their future.

Mullen is one of the nation’s best coaches, and his recruiting has begun to really heat up. Along with his recruiting, Mullen has been able to help produce some high draft picks, most notable the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Kyle Pitts. Mullen is likely going to have another top 10 pick in 2022 with cornerback Kaiir Elam.

On the field, Florida should be one of the best teams in the country this season. They will get Alabama early, which is huge. If Florida can beat Alabama, they have a chance to be in the College Football Playoff this year, which would cement Mullen’s legacy at Florida.

Mullen’s best work is always with his quarterbacks, and in 2021, Florida has a great one. Quarterback Emory Jones should have a big year under Mullen, just like quarterback Kyle Trask did last season.

Mullen’s name has also been heating up in NFL circles, so extending him now was a great move for the Gators and a no-brainer.