Florida Gators Football: Could Dan Mullen Be Florida' Next Coach?

I've heard a rumor that Dan Mullen has already accepted the job, but since neither he nor Jeremy Foley have officially said anything, I cannot state it like it is a fact.

My last article claiming that it had happened was deleted—and I'll concede that it was rightfully so. It was something that I heard from a friend at the Florida athletic office, but since he has not allowed me to release details, it looks admittedly suspicious and not substantially proven.

The quick rundown of what I heard:

Meyer was convinced to stay one more year, so Florida could see how Dan Mullen took the next step in building a team of his own. Otherwise, health would have forced him out.

Mullen accepted the terms of the contract offered, effective starting in 2011, assuming that his Mississippi State team continued to rise.

He cannot say a word until after the Gator Bowl, and must keep denying that he is interested until after New Year's Day.

But let's say this is all false. Let's say that this rumor is 100 percent wrong.

Who does Florida get?

Here are the candidates, in order:

Bobby Petrino (Arkansas)

Pro: He has shown the ability to take a team from ruins to a BCS bowl in just a few years. Plus, he's got recruiting ties in Arkansas and the Big 12 area. He is a scary good recruiter, and handing him the keys to the Florida recruiting machine could spell doom for SEC recruiters. His offense has been astounding—look at how far Ryan Mallet has come.

Con: He has a habit of jumping ships, but I don't think you can go any higher than Florida, so I don't see a reason to abruptly quit.

Charlie Strong (Louisville)

Pro: The obvious reason is that he was a coach at Florida from Steve Spurrier's days, and a damned good one at that.

He led a nasty Gator D in 2008 and 2009 that broke records for tackles for loss and QB hurries. But he is also a great recruiter, though slightly behind Petrino. Trust me, though, his defensive coaching matched with his still above-average recruiting should equal success. If you want the brainiest defensive mind available, here's your man.

Con: While he led Louisville to a bowl game in his first season, it was still his first season. Can he take his team through another season with everybody gunning to take him down? If hired, that's a huge question mark he'll have after Year One.

Chris Peterson (Boise State)

Pro: Probably the best overall coach available. He's got a rock solid resume, but to abbreviate it, he took Boise State from the depths of the WAC to not only conference contenders, but national championship contenders every year.

Now, recruiting at Boise State is easy. But when he came aboard, it was virtually impossible. Look what he did from scratch. A top 5 recruiter in the nation.

Con: He's going to be hard to lure away from Boise State to anywhere. He's got that program going smoothly, so why should he leave? He took it from nothing and made it into a great program.

Can you imagine Bobby Bowden ever leaving FSU or Joe Paterno ever leaving Penn State? Was either program anything at all before their arrival? The same applies to Peterson.

Kyle Whittingham (Utah)

Pro: Well, what happened the last time Jeremy Foley poached into Utah? My point. Except with Whittingham, it goes one better—he not only kept it running high, he kept it running high for six years. Meyer did it for two. They both run very similar offenses, which should work perfectly at Florida with Jordan Reed.

Con: He's never been successful at a big school, he hasn't made Utah a perennial national championship contender (they were only serious contenders one year), and his recruiting is very good, but not where it needs to be to coach in the SEC.

Kirby Smart (Alabama, Defensive Coordinator)

Pro: The dark, dark, dark horse that's so dark you can't see it at night. But why not?

He's a defensive genius, maybe even better than Strong. His Alabama defenses have been nothing short of spectacular—his worst memory as a DC was "watching Tim Tebow take over the game and almost singlehandedly beat us."

No shame there; he's beaten teams a lot worse than 31-20 in the 2008 SEC Championship. Nothing worse than that? Great defense in the SEC? I'll take him. Good recruiter, too, but I don't know for sure because he's had Nick Saban with him to this point.

Con: He's never been a head coach. BIG, BIG, BIG concern. Almost never do you see coordinators get their first head coaching jobs in the SEC, no matter how incredible they are. Plus, he has never proven himself on offense. I'm not saying he can't be great, because I think he will. But not yet.

What I can see happening is Florida going after him as a Defensive Coordinator. It would take a lot to lure him away from Alabama, but I have this feeling that Foley wants him so badly that it might affect who he gets as a head coach. A head coach that Smart is familiar and or friendly with would be a big help.

Another halfway decent option would be Gus Malzahn, but he hasn't been at Auburn very long and he hasn't proven himself either. I gave Smart a mention, but not Malzahn because Smart has been doing it for a while.

The one thing I do know for sure: it won't be Steve Addazio.