Florida football coach Dan Mullen received a three-year contract extension Tuesday worth an additional $1.5 annually following a turbulent 2020 season and amid NCAA sanctions.
Mullen’s updated deal raises his annual compensation to $7.6 million through the 2027 season, making the 49-year-old the SEC’s third-highest paid coach behind Alabama’s Nick Saban ($9.1 million) and LSU’s Ed Orgeron ($8.68 million). Mullen’s salary now surpasses Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher ($7.5 million) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($6.8 million), based on figures reported in November 2020 by USA Today.
Mullen’s extension, provided by the school based on a public records request, does not begin until the 2022 season. But Mullen will earn a $500,000 signing bonus July 1 and a $1 million retention incentive on Dec. 1.
UF is 29-9 under Mullen and has earned a spot in three consecutive New Year’s Six bowl games. The 2020 Gators won the SEC East title for the first time since 2016.
“We are very excited about the future of the Florida football program, and this agreement allows us to continue to build on the success we have enjoyed on and off the field,” Mullen said.
The timing of Mullen’s extension coincides with a 2020 season that ended with a three-game losing streak and included several high-profile missteps by the Gators’ coach.
Mullen’s calls to pack the Swamp after a loss at Texas A&M led to massive backlash due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mullen then was among 31 members of the football program to contract the virus, leading to a two-week shutdown.
Once the Gators returned to the field on Oct. 31 against Missouri, Mullen put himself at the center of a benches-clearing brawl, earning him a $25,000 fine two days later from the conference. Mullen also criticized the NCAA for canceling all practices so players could vote on Election Day.
Days after losing to Alabama in the SEC title game to end Florida’s hopes for a College Football Playoff bid, the NCAA announced mid-level recruiting violations for the Gators and a one-year show-cause penalty for Mullen.
The Gators then lost 55-20 to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
Yet, Mullen also is considered one of the game’s top offensive minds, play callers and talent evaluators.
“Dan has done a tremendous job in his three seasons at Florida, and we are fortunate to have someone with his obvious talents and head coaching experience leading our football program,” UF athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside him to support his vision for Gators football and our student-athletes for many years.”
Meanwhile, Stricklin also extended the contracts of men’s basketball coach Mike White and women’s basketball coach Cam Newbauer.
White received a two-year extension through 2027, but did not receive additional compensation on a previous extension signed in 2019. White, 43, will earn $3.083 million during the 2021-22 season and $3.208 million each of the following five seasons.
The Gators have reached the past four NCAA Tournaments under White, advancing to the Elite Eight in 2017 and into the Round of 32 the past three visits to the Big Dance. The 2020-21 Gators, though, squandered three double-digits leads during the second half to lose 81-78 March 21 to 15th-seeded Oral Roberts.
“Though he’s still relatively young by coaching standards, Mike has already established himself as a successful head coach,” Stricklin said. “Because of his work ethic, intelligence and competitiveness his career has such a high ceiling, and it’s going to be fun watching what his Gator teams accomplish for years to come.”
Newbauer’s program has struggled since his March 2017 hiring to build a languishing program. The 42-year-old Indiana native is 46-71 and 15-47 in SEC play, including three three-win seasons in four years.
Newbauer had one season remaining on a five-year deal paying him $500,000 annually. The three-year extension is scheduled to keep him at UF through the 2024-2025.
“Cam is building his program the right way and making steady progress,” Stricklin said. “It’s important that he have the time needed to continue that progress.”
Mullen will earn a $4.5 million in base salary under the new deal, $1.75 million in media/PR income, $700,000 in equipment-related compensation and $350,000 in money from the school’s Nike contract.
He also will have access to a $200,000 expense account and $70,000 in airplane use, though whatever is unused reverts back to the University Athletic Association. Mullen will receive $34,200 in annual pension contributions.
UF has a $12 million buyout if the school lets Mullen go. Mullen would receive half the money within 30 days and the rest during the next six years in annual payments.
Meanwhile, Mullen would have to pay just $2 million to get out of deal.
