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ESPN's Dan Mullen Named a Candidate to Replace Legendary College Football Coach

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Nov 26, 2024 11:58 AM ET

The North Carolina Tar Heels made the surprising decision to move on from Mack Brown after the 2024 season. The legendary college football coach was in his second stint with the Tar Heels and has the most wins in program history (113).

Saturday's game against North Carolina State will be Brown's final one as the head coach in Chapel Hill, and there are plenty of candidates rumored for the biggest job currently on the market.

Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports mentioned some candidates for the Tar Heels opening on Tuesday.

"Is Mullen interested in a return to the sidelines after working the past three years at ESPN? Although Mullen was dismissed at Florida, he still compiled a 34-15 mark from 2018-21 and won the SEC East title in ’20. Prior to the stint in Gainesville, Mullen went 69-46 at Mississippi State from 2009-17," Lassan wrote.

Mullen's name circulating in head coach rumors isn't surprising given his past success. He was the head coach at Mississippi State from 2009 until 2017 and then coached the Florida Gators from 2018 until 2021.

Mullen posted an overall record of 103-61 as head coach, including seven bowl game victories and back-to-back double-digit win seasons to begin his tenure in Florida, but he went 5-6 in his final season.

Recently, Mullen opened up on a possible return to coaching, per Grant Grubbs of On3.

“I love doing the TV," Mullen said. "I love the situation I’m at. You never say never to go back to coaching. It would have to be the right head coaching opportunity for me and my family,” Mullen said. “When you coach, you’re all in. It’s life-consuming."

Mullen is in his third season with ESPN and has been loving his time there, although a job as high-profile as North Carolina could be too good to pass up.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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