Mullen returns to sideline as UNLV's head coach

ESPN college football analyst Dan Mullen, the former head coach at Florida and Mississippi State, has been hired as UNLV's next head coach, the school announced Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not revealed, but a source told ESPN's Pete Thamel that it is for five years. Mullen will be introduced at a news conference Friday.

Mullen, 52, last coached with the Gators in 2021, when he was fired after four seasons with a 34-15 record, an appearance in the SEC championship game and three New Year's Six bowl games. Before that, he had a 69-46 mark over nine seasons at Mississippi State.

"Dan Mullen is an experienced and proven winner as a head coach at the highest levels of college football," UNLV president Keith E. Whitfield said. "I'm confident that he'll build on the strong momentum that Rebel football experienced the past two years and lead our program to even greater heights in the years to come."

Mullen, who has a career record of 103-61 over 13 seasons, joined ESPN as a college football analyst in 2022.

He replaces Barry Odom, who left UNLV to take the head coaching job at Purdue on Dec. 8.

Odom went 19-8 in two seasons and led the Rebels to back-to-back Mountain West championship game appearances.

The Rebels will be losing some key players, including quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, wide receiver Ricky White III, linebacker Jackson Woodard and defensive back Jalen Catalon. Woodard was named the Mountain West defensive player of the year, and White the conference's top special teams player after he blocked four punts.

"I am very excited to be a part of the UNLV family," Mullen said in a prepared statement. "These past two years, a foundation has been set to compete for championships, including being just one game away from making the College Football Playoff, which is a great testament to where we plan on continuing to be. My expectation is to keep that excitement and momentum alive and produce a team for the University, the City of Las Vegas and the State of Nevada that is going to compete for championships on a regular basis."

UNLV (10-3) will face Cal (6-6) in the Art of Sport LA Bowl on Wednesday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.