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Is Auburn among 6 SEC schools tabbed as fits for ex-UF, MS State HC?

By Andrew Hughes

Was Auburn football among the six SEC schools tabbed as potential fits for a former longtime Mississippi State and Florida head coach? Mandatory Credit: Gainesville Sun
Was Auburn football among the six SEC schools tabbed as potential fits for a former longtime Mississippi State and Florida head coach? Mandatory Credit: Gainesville Sun /
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Is former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen an option for the Auburn football program in the future, should the 51-year-old decide to return to the coaching profession? Southbound and Down’s Peter Bartell doesn’t believe so, but he did tab six other SEC schools that Mullen can be an option for.

“Besides Auburn and Florida, if the time ever comes right for any of these other programs, one could totally see it justifiable for a school to hire Mullen,” Bartell prefaced before saying, “Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Kentucky all have a little less pressure on them as far as expectations compared to the others in the conference not named. And this could bode well for Mullen who has a track record of performing above what has been average for each of those schools.”

Mullen amassed an overall record of 103-61 at the two schools, coaching a slew of top NFL draft picks including Dak Prescott and Anthony Richardson. Notably, Mullen was at Florida during the Gators’ two mid-2000s championship runs with a two-time Heisman in Tim Tebow under center.

Dan Mullen can still be an Auburn football coaching option

No, Mullen would never replace Hugh Freeze, as Bartell points out. Not during the upcoming coaching cycle anyway. Still, Mullen joining the Auburn football program is not the most far-fetched scenario due to the current problems the Tigers face offensively.

It’s hard not to note that Freeze has called out the play-calling this season, particularly the lack of RPO before the Georgia game. That was fixed, but with Philip Montgomery not using more RPO schemes despite that being his specialty during his Tulsa tenure, one must wonder if there is a disconnect between coach and offensive coordinator.

If there is, Mullen is a great option to replace Montgomery in 2024 and beyond — though that “beyond” probably doesn’t go far considering Mullen’s likely ambition to be a head coach again.

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