Dan Mullen was perceived lack of recruiting success. According to Mullen himself, however, the criticism may have originated from within the program rather than outside of it.
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wolken recently sat down with Mullen to discuss the changing landscape of college athletics and his commitment to staying at UNLV for the long haul. The conversation, held on October 20 — just a day after the University of Florida dismissed Billy Napier — gave Mullen an opportunity to reflect on his tenure in Gainesville and the circumstances surrounding his departure.
“That was interesting at the end… in retrospect, now I have a much better perspective at the end of Florida, of the reality,” Mullen said. “Because there’s the perception, which you probably deal with, and the reality, which is the reality. Which nobody wants to talk about — what actually happened.”
From his perspective, what “actually happened” was closer to internal sabotage than simply poor recruiting.
“There’s all the spin, right? Like, ‘oh, you won’t recruit,’” Mullen said. “Okay, did [Napier’s staff] have one better recruiting class than mine? So that spin was coming internally. ‘Oh, you won’t recruit.’ There’s a lot more to it, but that’s one little one.”
Between 2018 and 2021, Mullen’s recruiting classes at Florida ranked 14th, ninth, eighth, and 12th according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. By comparison, Napier’s classes from 2022 through 2025 ranked 18th, 13th, 13th, and seventh. While Napier did record the single best class of the two coaches, Mullen’s overall consistency was stronger, with three of his four classes finishing higher than three of Napier’s four.
After being let go by Florida, Mullen used his time away from coaching to regroup and adjust to the modern realities of college football, including NIL deals and transfer portal management. Now, thriving as UNLV’s head coach with a 6-1 record, Mullen seems rejuvenated and more confident than ever. Meanwhile, Florida finds itself in a familiar position — struggling to regain its footing. If anyone has come out on top from that messy breakup, it appears to be Dan Mullen.
