GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It's a conversation that came to mind shortly into Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin's press conference Sunday to discuss his decision to dismiss Dan Mullen as UF's head coach.
On the way to a pregame event the day before the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championship Game, I caught a ride with Stricklin and former Gators football sports-information director Will Pantages from the airport in Atlanta. Stricklin was new to the job – he had officially replaced Jeremy Foley the previous month – so it was an opportunity to chat and learn more about the new boss.
At one point, I remember asking Stricklin if firing a coach was the toughest part of the job. An approachable and likable man with strong religious convictions, it was easy to imagine Stricklin grappling with a decision such as that more than perhaps other CEO types.
He said it was, especially since you know that not only is the coach going to be impacted, but his or her family, the assistants and their families, and the players. Adding to the complex nature of his decision to part ways with Mullen is that the two have worked together for more than a decade, first at Mississippi State, and since 2018 at Florida.
As the Gators floundered for much of this season, speculation grew with each loss whether Stricklin would eventually have to make such a difficult decision with Mullen. Following Saturday's 24-23 overtime loss that dropped the Gators to 5-6, 2-6 in the Southeastern Conference – their worst league record since 1979 – Stricklin got home in the wee hours of Sunday morning and got a few hours of sleep.
Once he woke up Sunday morning, he said he felt it was a move that needed to be made.
And he confirmed his comments during that car ride five years ago.
"Anytime you're making a decision that is going to impact someone's livelihood and you're telling them they can't do something they want to do, that's not easy – whether that's a staff member, a coach, a student-athlete, whoever it may be,'' Stricklin said. "That's never an easy situation. It's not a very fun part of the job."
The way Mullen's fourth season had crumbled, Stricklin was left with few options.
As the Gators prepare to face Florida State in the regular-season finale on Saturday, the unimaginable has happened.
Two months ago, Florida was 3-1 and ranked in the top 10. The Seminoles were winless and second-year head coach Mike Norvell was under fire after a home loss to Jacksonville State. Meanwhile, the Gators had gone head-to-head with then-No. 1 Alabama and talked of a potential rematch in the SEC Championship Game.
When the longtime rivals meet Saturday for the first time since 2019, they appear headed in opposite directions and both need a win to become bowl eligible.
That's not good enough at UF and in Stricklin's search for a new head coach, he said the goal is to find someone who can win and sustain success over the long haul. Mullen was able to do that at first, but once adversity hit, the Gators seemed unable to find their way out of that fog that engulfed them in the LSU loss.
"We want somebody going forward who can come in here and they share our high expectations for sustained success and can do so at a place with great resources like the University of Florida," Stricklin said. "To achieve at a high level over a sustained period of time. You know, we talk about competing for championships, and we talk about having a championship experience with integrity. Florida is a place you have the right to aspire to that."
Stricklin said the Gators will use whatever resources they deem necessary in the search for the next coach. The job has ample appeal for him to sell.
He named special-team coordinator/running backs coach Greg Knox interim head coach. Knox filled the same role at Mississippi State when Mullen left after the 2017 season to come to Florida. Knox led the Bulldogs to a Gator Bowl win.
"We have incredible resources," Stricklin said. "We're at a great university, we have an incredibly passionate fan base, we've invested a lot in facilities. One thing that doesn't get talked a lot about, we have incredible alignment among our university hierarchy, from the board of trustees to Dr. Fuchs, myself, the University Athletic Association Board, Gator Boosters Board, and you hear – you guys probably see things from other schools where trustees are trying to get involved in the decision-making process and who's really calling the shots. That doesn't happen here.
"I think that matters. I think to be really successful you have to that type of alignment throughout the university. So, you look at that alignment on top of the incredible resources, the incredible fan support, the facilities, the new facilities that are coming down the line, the conference we play in, where we live – a state of more than 21 million people that is one of the fertile recruiting grounds in the country – we should have high expectations."
Stricklin said the Gators will honor the $12 million buyout in Mullen's contract and that while there is no timetable for the next hire, "we're going to move as quickly as we can. We're going to use every available resource at our disposal, whether it's contacts or anything else to get as much information to make the right decision."
In his time at Florida, Stricklin has hired Mullen, former women's basketball coach Cam Newbauer, former women's swimming coach Jeff Poppell and women's soccer coach Tony Amato. When Poppell departed to take over at South Carolina earlier this year, Stricklin named UF men's head coach Anthony Nesty head of both programs.
Every hire is different, but Stricklin has a blueprint for what he wants in the Gators' next head coach.
"There' a lot of boxes you'd like to have checked,'' he said. "I think when you look at what makes a successful coach there's three main components: One is their ability to lead a group, a team, one is their ability to put that team together, and the third is their ability to coach that team.
"When you look at recruiting, that's a really important part of that second function, putting that team together. We want somebody that can attract the best staff to coach the best group of players and take advantage of all the incredible resources and advantages that are here."
The decision to part with Mullen was undoubtedly one of the most difficult of Stricklin's career.
His next big decision has difficulties of its own, but undoubtedly qualifies as a more fun part of the job.
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Stricklin Moved on Difficult Decision, Eyes Next Big Decision - Florida Gators
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