Odds to Be Next Florida Football Head Coach After Dan Mullen Fired – Kiffin, Cristobal and Napier Top Favorites

• Dan Mullen was fired as the Florida Gators football coach on Sunday, November 21st
• Lane Kiffin, Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier are the top candidates to replace Mullen
• See below for odds to become the next Florida coach, plus betting analysis

The Florida Gators will be looking for their fourth football coach in eight seasons after firing Dan Mullen on Sunday. Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin made the decision after the team lost in overtime to Missouri in Week 12.

One of the favorites in odds to be next CFB HC fired, who lost four straight games against Power 5 opponents. While Mullen went 34-15 at Florida and led the Gators to an SEC Championship in 2020, he failed to maintain a high level of consistency throughout his four years coaching the team.

Who will be Florida’s next coach? Lane Kiffin, Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier are the top candidates to be Mullen’s replacement.

Odds to Be Next Florida Football Head Coach

Odds as of November 22nd

Kiffin, Cristobal Among Top Candidates

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, Oregon coach Mario Cristobal and Louisiana coach Billy Napier are the top three favorites to be Mullen’s replacement at Florida. All three coaches have also been mentioned for other high-profile job openings at USC, LSU and (potentially) Miami.

Kiffin makes sense as Florida’s next coach due to his elite recruiting ability and offensive mind. He spent three years coaching Florida Atlantic back in 2016 where he turned a struggling Owls program into a 10-11-win team. Kiffin’s aggressive play calling is similar to the style of legendary UF coach Steve Spurrier.

How we feelin' @Lane_Kiffin? pic.twitter.com/3vxmdvhNeG

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 14, 2021

Mullen struggling with recruiting, which is why Kiffin’s name is at the top of this list. Stricklin is going to be looking for someone who can recruit at a level that keeps pace with Kirby Smart and Georgia in the SEC East. Kiffin is 9-2 at Ole Miss this season and has been making headlines for his aggressive recruiting of Arch Manning.

Cristobal is another elite recruiter who would make sense as Florida’s next coach. The Florida native has led Oregon to two Pac-12 Championships while dominating recruiting on the West Coast. The Ducks have been ranked No.1 in recruiting in the Pac-12 since 2019 and boast the 10th-best class overall for 2022.

Napier, meanwhile, has been mentioned for all the big job-openings for a reason. Napier is 31-5 coaching Louisiana and has experience recruiting and coaching under Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney. He’d be a good choice for changing the culture at UF and building stability. It appears inevitable Napier will leave the Sun Belt for a big payday at a Power 5 school.

Matt Campbell is Intriguing Longshot

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell is an intriguing longshot in the odds to be Florida’s next coach. He’s done a terrific job building culture within the Cyclones program and has had great success on the field. Campbell led Iowa State to five straight bowl appearances and a top-10 finish in 2020.

Matt Campbell knows a Big 12 championship was the goal of many, but makes it clear that it was not his goal.

Question from @BenVisser43, video from @MarkFreundTV. pic.twitter.com/I7JkguQ1Wc

— SoundOFF (@SoundOFF13) November 17, 2021

Florida didn’t necessarily have a bad team this season, but they finished their SEC schedule 2-6 as the players appeared to give up on the season. There have been rumors circulating that the team wasn’t buying into Mullen’s philosophies and culture he was building. Mullen called a 70-52 victory over FCS Samford a “good win”.

Campbell brought a culture change when he first arrived to Iowa State, holding the team to new standards and expectations. The Cyclones weren’t loaded with five-star prospects, but he got the most of his players and turned the program around. At only 41 years of age, Campbell would bring fresh and youthful energy to Florida’s program.

Could Gators Turn to NFL?

If the Gators don’t wind up with one of the top college coaches in this year’s carousel, they may end up turning to the big league. Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer headlines the list of current NFL coaches who could become Florida’s next coach. Meyer, of course, coached the Gators between 2005-2011.

It appears unlikely that Stricklin would pursue Meyer, as the 57-year-old coach has had a large number of off-the-field controversies throughout the years. 31 players were arrested during Meyer’s tenure at Florida, and the Ohio native recently made headlines for being spotted in a bar with a woman who wasn’t his wife.

If Florida is truly looking for a culture change, Meyer won’t be on their radar. Dallas Cowboys DC Dan Quinn makes more sense as an NFL option due to his Florida ties. Quinn spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons at Florida under head coach Will Muschamp and could be open to a high-profile coaching job at a school he’s familiar with.

Verdict

There are plenty of qualified candidate to be Florida’s next coach, but these big names are also going to be brought up in discussions for the other high-profile jobs. Kiffin would seemingly be a great fit at Florida due to his offensive mind and recruiting, but he’s reportedly stated he’d be open to going to Miami.

SLATER SCOOP: Lane Kiffin would leave Ole Miss for the University of Miami if the Hurricanes head coaching job were to open, multiple sources close to Kiffin tell me.

— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) November 18, 2021

When trying to find the value in the odds to be Florida’s next coach, finding ties to Gainesville is important. Mario Cristobal was born in Miami and played for the Hurricanes before later coaching at FIU. With Oregon eliminated from the CFP, Florida could get an early start on pursuing Cristobal.

Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer jump out as fun longshots, but Dan Quinn is the smart value play. Although the Gators would have a hard time poaching him from Dallas, Quinn thrived as defensive coordinator under Muschamp and would surely help one of the SEC’s worst defenses return to form.