UNLV is hiring former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen, CBS Sports has learned.
The two sides were in active discussions late Wednesday night, with the deal being finalized Thursday morning, sources familiar with the situation said. UNLV was able to entice Mullen with an increased name, image and likeness budget in addition to revenue-sharing payments for players starting next season.
UNLV is a member of the Mountain West and is not legally obligated to participate in the upcoming revenue-sharing model that will be enforced within the four power conferences beginning as early as July 1, but the Group of Five school is prepared to pay players via a smaller revenue sharing model, a source briefed on the discussions.. In addition, the NIL payments outside the revenue-sharing model is expected to more than double to a total of several million dollars.
The move comes on the heels of Barry Odom’s departure for Purdue after leading UNLV to unprecedented success in his two seasons leading the program. The Rebels landed in the Mountain West Championship game in back-to-back seasons, losing to Boise State each time. UNLV recorded a 10-3 record before Odom’s departure for the Big Ten. The Rebels are set to face Cal in the LA Bowl on Dec. 18.
Mullen spent 13 seasons as a head coach in the SEC, where he lifted Mississippi State to eight straight bowl bids and landed the program at No. 1 in the first ever College Football Playoff rankings in 2014. The Bulldogs won nine games or more in three of his nine seasons in Starkville and won four bowl games. He bolted for 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 leading the program.
Mullen is 103-61 in his coaching career, including a 69-46 record at Mississippi State. He has served as an on-air analyst for ESPN since 2022.
The Rebels made headlines earlier In the 2024 season when starting quarterback Matthew Sluka left the program over an NIL dispute. Sluka’s family said the quarterback was promised $100,000 in NIL money after transferring from Holy Cross but he did not receive payment. He left the program after three games, which included a road upset of Kansas. UNLV said at the time they interpreted the accusations as Sluka’s agent making financial demands, which the school believed was a violation of the NCAA’s pay-for-play rules.
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