UNLV to Hire Dan Mullen As Next Head Coach

The UNLV Rebels are hiring Dan Mullen as their next head coach, replacing Barry Odom who left for the Purdue job over the weekend. Brett McMurphy was first with the news.

Mullen has spent the last three seasons working as a college football analyst and color commentator for ESPN following his firing from Florida with one game remaining in the 2021 season. Mullen went 34-15 in his nearly four seasons in Gainesville, and went 69-46 in nine seasons at Mississippi State beforehand.

The longtime FBS coach was waiting for the right job to open and the right time to jump back into coaching, and taking over a contender in the Mountain West and one of the top programs in the Group of Five in 2024 proved to be the perfect fit for Mullen and his family.

He will bring a wealth of college football knowledge from his time in the SEC, but like many others, will be navigating the world of revenue sharing (and NIL) for the first time. The sport has changed significantly since the last time he was running a program in 2021, and he will certainly have to adapt to a changing landscape as he gets back into coaching in Las Vegas.