The rise, fall and rise again of Jim Harbaugh shows how quickly college coaches go from hot to not
College football has always been a what-have-you-done-lately business, but these days โ fueled by nonstop hot-seat coverage and constant social-media scrutiny โ- a coachโs stock rises and falls like a roller coaster.
QB debate continues as No. 13 Florida routs USF 42-20
No. 13 Florida tuned up for the start of Southeastern Conference play with a 42-20 rout of overmatched South Florida that did little to answer the question of whether starter Emory Jones or backup Anthony Richardson is best suited to run the Gators offense.
Florida gives Mullen 3-year extension, $1.5M raise annually
Florida football coach Dan Mullen received a three-year contract extension worth an additional $1.5 million annually following a disappointing season that closed with a three-game losing streak and included several public relations missteps and NCAA sanctions.
AP source: Florida fires 2 assistants after defensive fiasco
Florida coach Dan Mullen, center, watches play against Oklahoma during the first half of the Cotton Bowl NCAA college football game in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ A person familiar with the situation says Florida coach Dan Mullen has fired two defensive assistants in the wake of the unitโs worst season in more than a hundred years. The Sooners racked up a whopping 684 yards โ the most any team has ever gained against Florida โ in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday night. The Gators played without three defensive starters in the Cotton Bowl. Even with those give guys, Floridaโs defense was mostly a debacle.
Florida QB Trask officially turns pro after record season
(AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ Florida quarterback Kyle Trask made his future plans official Thursday, formally announcing heโs declining an opportunity to return to school and entering the NFL draft. No one thought Trask would stick around following a record-breaking season that included being named a Heisman Trophy finalist. He led the nation in passing yards and TD passes. He broke the previous school record (39) for TD passes (39) set by 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel. Fellow defensive tackle Zachary Carter, meanwhile, announced plans to return to school for his senior season.
Gators rattled: No. 8 Oklahoma routs Florida in Cotton Bowl
8 Oklahoma beat 10th-ranked SEC runner-up Florida 55-20 on Wednesday night in the Cotton Bowl. Back in the same NFL stadium where 11 days earlier they won their sixth consecutive Big 12 title, the Sooners (9-2, No. The 55 points were their most ever in a bowl game, while piling up a Cotton Bowl-record 684 total yards. 1 Alabama in the SEC title game, and had averaged nearly 42 points a game. Oklahoma: With Rattler and Mims among the young standouts coming back, the Sooners could again be favored to win another Big 12 title.
Florida, Mullen sanctioned for NCAA recruiting violations
Florida head coach Dan Mullen speaks with players before the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game between Florida and Alabama, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ Florida received a year of probation and football coach Dan Mullen was sanctioned Tuesday after the school and the NCAA agreed to resolve an infractions case involving impermissible contact with recruits last year. Mullen was hit with a one-year show cause order, during which he was prohibited from all off-campus recruiting activity this past fall. Because of the pandemic, the NCAA restricted off-campus recruiting for most of this year. Florida has banned Mullen from recruiting for the first 10 days of January.
Cotton Bowl: Big 12 champ Oklahoma vs SEC runner-up Florida
ARLINGTON, Texas โ Oklahoma is going right back to the stadium where the Sooners just won their sixth Big 12 championship in a row to play SEC runner-up Florida in the Cotton Bowl. During a Gators team meeting on Zoom to discuss their bowl destination, one of the first questions players asked Mullen was where the Cotton Bowl was played. Oklahoma is in the Cotton Bowl for only the third time, its first since a 41-13 loss to Texas A&M on Jan. 4, 2013. The Cotton Bowl will be played two days before Alabama faces No. Pitts announced is turning pro and won't play in the Cotton Bowl.
Swamp stunner: L-S-Shoe tops No. 6 Florida on 57-yard FG
6 Florida 37-34 on a cool and foggy Saturday night in the Swamp. Florida didnโt help itself with three turnovers in the first half that led to 10 points and a 24-17 deficit. He fumbled trying to scramble with 10 seconds to play in the half, essentially handing LSU a field goal. Florida had first-and-10 at the LSU 15-yard line when Trask tried to connect with Kadarius Toney near the sideline. Florida: The Gators have all kinds of issues heading into the title game.
Heisman front-runner? Trask, No. 6 Florida thump Hogs 63-35
Arkansas acting head coach Barry Odom, center, watches a stadium video monitor after Florida scored a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Heisman front-runner? Trask, No. 6 Florida thump Hogs 63-35
Trask repeatedly torched the Razorbacks (3-4), who were without coach Sam Pittman and without much of a chance by halftime. It was the second time this season Trask tossed six TDs in a game. โI think I did a great job of executing and being efficient,โ said Trask, who now has an SEC-record 28 TD passes and just three interceptions in six games. He became the third player in school history with at least 25 touchdown passes in multiple years, joining Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel. Florida: The Gators have the offense to beat anyone and the defense to keep everyone in games.
Trask, Florida upend Georgia 44-28 in 'Cocktail Party'
His Florida teammates took it to another level, running and leaping into the stands. Trask had another four-touchdown night, becoming the first quarterback in Southeastern Conference history to accomplish the feat in five consecutive games, and the eighth-ranked Gators beat No. Trask and the Gators took advantage, burning Georgia repeatedly with wheel routes while overcoming a 14-0 deficit. If theyโre going bracket and take away and double people, heโs going to go to who youโre not doubling or covering.โOnce Trask and Florida got going, the Bulldogs did little to stop them. Florida notched a signature win for Mullen, but likely can't afford a slip-up down the stretch to remain in play for a CFP spot.
SEC fines Florida's Mullen $25K for role in brawl vs. Mizzou
GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ The Southeastern Conference fined Florida coach Dan Mullen $25,000 on Monday for his role in a benches-clearing brawl against Missouri. Each of them will sit out the first half of Missouriโs next game, against No. Missouri linebacker Tre Williams was ejected for a flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct foul and will not be punished further. โThere is no place in college football for the kind of incident that took place at halftime of the Missouri at Florida game Saturday night," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. Floridaโs faithful dismissed Mullenโs strong and somewhat questionable stances as typical brashness for an outspoken coach whoโs focused on winning.
Florida's Mullen's uneven month ends in Darth Vader costume
GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ Florida coach Dan Mullen dressed as Darth Vader was fitting considering his last three weeks. Mullen showed up following a 41-17 victory over Missouri wearing a full โStar Warsโ villain costume, complete with a red lightsaber. Mullenโs month concluded with a lopsided victory that was marred by a benches-clearing melee at halftime. So did Mullen, who started screaming at the officials and in the direction of the opposing sideline. โNever know with Coach Mullen,โ safety Brad Stewart said.
Toney, Trask shine as No. 10 Florida tops, fights Missouri
10 Florida returned from a three-week layoff to handle Missouri 41-17 on Saturday night in the Swamp. It could be costly for Florida (3-1), which plays rival and fifth-ranked Georgia next week in nearby Jacksonville. The referee huddled Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Mullen near the goal line and then announced the ejections. Missouri defensive lineman Tre Williams, Florida defensive end Zach Carter and Florida linebacker Antwuan Powell were tossed. Florida plays Georgia in the Worldโs Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, which will be limited to about 18,000 fans.
The Latest: Positive test halts Cal basketball workouts
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Californiaโs menโs basketball team is pausing workouts after an unidentified player tested positive for COVID-19. ___The NFL and its players' union say eight players and 11 other personnel tested positive in the latest round of screening for COVID-19. Coach Dan Mullen, at least two assistants and more than two dozen players tested positive following a road trip to Texas A&M earlier this month. FIU has seen more than 30 players miss time this season because of positive coronavirus tests or a need to quarantine after potential exposure. Last Sundayโs game between Lens and Nantes was postponed after 11 Lens players and two staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
No. 10 Florida, Mullen plan to resume practice next week
Florida head coach Dan Mullen reacts during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. Mullen was given several more chances Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, to walk back bizarre comments about wanting to pack 90,000 screaming fans inside Florida Field during the coronavirus pandemic. 10 Florida is planning to start returning to its football facility Monday, nearly two weeks after the program shut down because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Coach Dan Mullen, one of more than two dozen Gators who tested positive for the coronavirus last week, sounded congested as he said the team had a new positive Wednesday. 'โMullen suggested Florida would look at potentially changing its road routine, especially in regards to the size of visiting locker rooms around the league.
The Latest: UEFA cancels men's soccer under-19 Euros
___The Italian swim teamโs preparations for the Tokyo Olympics are in crisis with 10 more athletes testing positive for the novel coronavirus. Olympic champion Federica Pellegrini was already at home in isolation after testing positive last week. The federation says all of the swimmers are asymptomatic and that no staff members have tested positive. ___The Mountain West football game between New Mexico and Colorado State has been canceled due to COVID-19. Overall contenders Simon Yates and Steven Kruijswijk had already been withdrawn from the race after testing positive.
Florida's Mullen joins players in testing positive for virus
Mullen made the announcement Saturday on Twitter, saying his initial positive result was confirmed by a second test. The 10th-ranked Gators had at least 21 players and coaches test positive earlier this week, an outbreak that prompted the Southeastern Conference to postpone Florida's next two games. Two assistant coaches also tested positive for the highly contagious virus. Florida has started administering daily tests since it first suspected an outbreak following last week's loss at Texas A&M. Mullen raised eyebrows after the loss to the Aggies by saying he wanted to pack the Swamp against LSU.
Virus wreaking havoc on SEC with Saban now testing positive
10 Florida's game against defending national champion LSU was postponed Wednesday to tentatively Dec. 12 after the SEC postponed Missouri-Vanderbilt on Monday. Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason is going through a similar situation. To play, the SEC requires at least 53 on game days. Timing is critical depending on the day of the week a positive test or tracing result returns. โEvery time youโre taking a test," Mason said, โyou're crossing your fingers ... you don't have anybody in harm's way."
SEC postpones LSU-Florida game as Gators deal with outbreak
The Southeastern Conference postponed Saturdayโs LSU-Florida game a day after Mullen had 19 players and coaches test positive for COVID-19. The game was tentatively rescheduled for Dec. 12, the league's built-in bye week before its annual championship. It's the second SEC game bumped this week, following Missouri-Vanderbilt. Florida hosts Missouri next, on October 24, and that game also could be in jeopardy. Mullen said two assistant coaches also tested positive.
Florida halts meetings, practices amid 19 new COVID cases
Florida head coach Dan Mullen reacts during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. 10 Florida paused all team activities Tuesday following โan increase in positive COVID tests among players," putting Saturday's home game against defending national champion LSU in jeopardy. The Gators had 19 positives following Tuesday morning testing, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. He brushed aside criticism and praised his players for how well they have handled COVID safety protocols. The Gators test student-athletes three times a week, with football players getting tested Sunday at noon as well as Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
The Latest: Champions Hockey League cancels upcoming season
The Champions Hockey League was due to begin next month in an already-shortened format with a knockout bracket and no round-robin. ___Senegalโs friendly soccer match against Mauritania has been canceled after eight members of the Mauritanian delegation tested positive for COVID-19. It says the results showed eight positive tests among the Mauritanian delegation. ___Slovakia coach Pavel Hapal has tested positive for the coronavirus and will miss the Nations League game against Israel on Wednesday. Two players, Milan Skriniar and Jaroslav Mihalik, and a staff member tested positive before Sundayโs Nations League against Scotland that Slovakia lost in Glasgow 1-0.
Mullen brushes aside criticism for wanting to 'pack Swamp'
Mullen was given several more chances Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, to walk back bizarre comments about wanting to pack 90,000 screaming fans inside Florida Field during the coronavirus pandemic. He declined each of them, brushing aside criticism and insisting he's focused on defending national champion LSU. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)GAINESVILLE, Fla. โ Florida coach Dan Mullen was given several more chances Monday to clarify any confusion regarding his comments about wanting to pack 90,000 screaming fans inside Florida Field during the coronavirus pandemic. He declined each of them, brushing aside criticism and insisting he's focused on defending national champion LSU. โNo, Iโve been worried about trying to beat LSU,โ Mullen said.
Trask, Pitts help No. 3 Florida top South Carolina 38-24
Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts hooked up for two more touchdowns, continuing their hot start and leading Florida to a 38-24 victory over South Carolina on Saturday. But the Gators had their way with South Carolina for three quarters in front of 15,120 socially distant fans in the Swamp. BRIGHT SPOTHarris was one of the few bright spots for South Carolina. "I just did what I had to do.โDROPPED PASSESA big reason South Carolina couldnโt keep up was dropped passes. Florida takes its โKyle to Kyle Showโ to Kyle Field to play Texas A&M next Saturday.
No. 5 Florida beats Ole Miss 51-35 in Kiffin's debut
The star tight end caught four of Kyle Traskโs six touchdown passes and No. 5 Florida spoiled the head coaching debut of Mississippiโs Lane Kiffin with a 51-35 victory Saturday. Trask completed 30 of 42 passes for 416 yards including touchdown passes of 1, 16, 71 and 17 yards to Pitts. Trask modestly chose to deflect the attention to 6-foot-6, 240-pound Pitts, who consistently found seams in the Ole Miss secondary. Ole Miss (0-1) tied it at 14 midway through the second quarter before yielding to the Trask-led Florida outburst.
New Magnolia State coaches prepare for challenging debuts
FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Lane Kiffin speaks to Mississippi fans after being announced as the new head football coach during a introductory press conference in Oxford, Miss. In attendance were his children, daughters Presley Kiffin, 13, left, Landry Kiffin, 15, second from left, and son Knox Kiffin, 10. Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. But they drew huge challenges for their debuts, with the Bulldogs visiting defending national champion and No. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
New Magnolia State coaches prepare for challenging debuts
Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. Mike Leach expected to start his first season at Mississippi State versus New Mexico. Instead, both coaches โ and their respective offenses โ will encounter stiffer challenges in their Magnolia State debuts. 5 Florida and ex-Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen as two-touchdown underdogs. Before Deion Sanders made a prime-time splash when he was hired by Jackson State on Monday; Leach and Kiffin were splashy hires in the state.