5 potential Florida Gators football head coach candidates

COLLEGE STATION, TX – OCTOBER 28: Head coach Dan Mullen of the Mississippi State Bulldogs looks toward the scoreboard during a second quarter time out against the Texas A /

In the wake of Jim McElwain’s firing on Sunday, the conversation shifts to the future. The regular season has a month left, and several more schools may decide to make a change at the helm. However, the Florida Gators will undoubtedly be the best available job with access to an exciting pool of candidates.

Dan Mullen, HC, Miss St

Mullen is the obvious first choice. For starters, he spent four seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Gators, a time that is very fondly looked by on by the Florida faithful. From 2005 through 2008, Mullen’s offenses led the team to two conference titles and two national titles. He also coached Tim Tebow to a Heisman trophy in 2007, along with a third-place finish in 2008.

However, the most attractive quality in Dan Mullen is his unique blend of experience and youth. He has spent eight years as the head man at Mississippi State, getting the chance to gain valuable action as an SEC head coach at a program with manageable expectations.

Despite that, he is still only 45. He’s fresh and fun. He’s the guy that wears goofy shoes to SEC Media Days. He can connect with his players. Most importantly, he has a vastly different personality than the recently fired McElwain.

Scott Frost, HC, UCF

Frost, while lacking major head coaching experience, is one of the hot, young names on the coaching carousel. He has resurrected a dormant UCF program, and has been exciting in doing it. The Knights rank first in points per game (51), and third in total points (357). After two years of anemic offense, Frost is the kind of innovator the Florida Gators need.

Of course, Frost has been considered to the top candidate to take over the Nebraska job, which makes sense, considering he played there from 1995-97. Despite those ties, Florida is unquestionably a better job opening. The SEC is the most profitable conference in the country, and the recruiting pool in-state is far more lush in Gainesville.

Justin Fuente, HC, Virginia Tech

Fuente has already energized a Virginia Tech program that had become stale in the final years of the Frank Beamer era. In 2016, the Hokies won ten games, after winning only seven in three of the last four. That kind of quick turnaround will be attractive to a school like Florida that expects success quickly.

Florida is one of the premier jobs in college football. Fuente may like what he has in Blacksburg, but if the Gators come calling, he’ll listen.

DJ Durkin, HC, Maryland

Like Mullen, Durkin was previously at Florida, and is looked back on fondly. While the Will Muschamp era was ultimately a disappointment, Durkin’s defenses were never the problem.

Durkin’s strength is his recruiting pedigree. In 2012, he was named the Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com. In 2017, the Terrapins pulled in the 18th ranked recruiting class by the 247Sports Composite rankings. This was vastly improved from previous classes, as they finished 41st in ’16, 47th in ’15, and 41st in ’14.

The consensus since McElwain’s firing has been that the Florida Gators needs to hire an offensive mind. The one problem; that’s exactly what McElwain was supposed to be. Following the consensus is not always the right move.

Neal Brown, HC, Troy

The youngest of these names, Brown doesn’t get enough credit for his experience and success in college football. Since 2008, he has been an offensive coordinator with stints at Texas Tech and Kentucky. His NASCAR offense has been effective at both stops. The scheme is predicated on team speed, and there isn’t a better state than Florida if you want to recruit speed.

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Brown took Troy from a 4-8 season in his first year, to a ten win season in 2016, highlighted by the Trojans first ever foray into the AP Top 25. His biggest national exposure came earlier this year in a 24-21 upset on the road at LSU. He may be inexperienced, but that win will have him on many schools’ radars.

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