UNLV hire a veteran Florida And Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen, the school announced Thursday.
The two sides were in active discussions Wednesday evening, with the deal finalized Thursday morning, sources familiar with the matter said. UNLV was able to lure Mullen with an increased budget for name, image and likeness, in addition to revenue-sharing payments for players starting next season.
“I am very excited to be a part of the UNLV family,” Mullen said in a statement released by the school. “Over the past two years, a foundation has been established to compete for championships, including being just one game away from the College Football Playoff, which is a great testament to where we plan to continue to be. “
UNLV is a member of the Mountain West and is not legally obligated to participate in the upcoming revenue sharing model that will be implemented within the four power conferences starting July 1, but the Group of Five school is prepared to paying players through a smaller revenue-sharing model, a source briefed on the discussions said. Additionally, zero payments outside of the revenue sharing model are expected to more than double to a total of several million dollars.
The move follows Barry Odom’s departure to Purdue after leading UNLV to unprecedented success during his two seasons at the helm of the program. The Rebels have landed in the Mountain West championship game in consecutive seasons, losing to Boise State each time. UNLV posted a 10-3 record before Odom left for the Big Ten. The Rebels are scheduled to face Cal in the LA Bowl on December 18.
Mullen spent 13 seasons as a head coach in the SEC, where he took Mississippi State to eight straight bids and landed the program at No. 1 for the first time ever. College football 2014 playoff standings. The Bulldogs have won nine or more games in three of his nine seasons in Starkville and have won four bowl games. He fled to Florida in December 2017 and led the Gators to 10- and 11-win seasons before an eight-win season and five-win mark led to his ouster before the end of the 2021 season , his fourth year at the helm of the program.
Mullen is 103-61 in his coaching career, including a 69-46 record at Mississippi State. He has been an on-air analyst for ESPN since 2022.
The Rebels made headlines earlier in the 2024 season with the departure of quarterback Matthew Sluka. left the program following a null dispute. Sluka’s family said the quarterback was promised $100,000 in no money after transferring from Holy Cross, but did not receive payment. He left the program after three games, including a road loss to Kansas. UNLV said at the time that it interpreted the accusations as Sluka’s agent making financial demands, which the school considered a violation of the NCAA’s payment-for-play rules.