Thoughts of the Day: November 18, 2021

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

MOST IN THE MEDIA THINK DAN MULLEN HAS ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR

You would be hard pressed to find someone in the media who truly believes Dan Mullen will live to coach the Florida Gators another year even if he finishes the season on a three-game winning streak. Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports writes, “The train is completely off the rails in Gainesville and it seems unlikely Florida is able to get things back on track under Dan Mullen.”

Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated offered this after the Gators beat Samford, 70-52: “With Mullen’s future in the balance, his players answered the question on Saturday afternoon. They laid down for a historically bad performance. Much like Ron Zook’s tenure will be tied to losing to Mississippi State and Will Muschamp never got over losing to Georgia Southern, Mullen’s first half against Samford will reverberate in Florida infamy.”

Paul Finebaum, on WJOX in Birmingham Monday morning, said, “I’ve lost track of the record now. You have a .500 record. I don’t really know how you can convince anyone that your program is heading in the right direction. I think it’s serious. I do … But in this case, because this thing is spiraling, if it’s spiraling now and Scott Stricklin and Mullen meet at the end of the season, what is he going to say that would convince you or Scott Stricklin or anyone else that he really has control. Sometimes things just fall apart and the best thing to do is let it go. It’s not like Dan Mullen couldn’t find a job because he can, and you’re sitting in Dan Mullen’s shoes right now, is that not the better choice because he still has capital from a professional standpoint?”

Mullen is currently 34-14 and if he beats Missouri and Florida State in the final two games to finish at 7-5, the worst he will have is the third best record of anyone in the SEC since 2018 and a record that ranks no worse that 10th nationally. Firing coaches is serious business, but particularly when they’ve had that kind of success even without a dedicated football facility that should have been built and open years ago. We can rationalize that it’s Florida and great coaches will crawl backwards for the UF job if and when it’s open, but you don’t see great coaches clamoring for the LSU job, do you? LSU might be down to its fourth or fifth choice already. It is being speculated that Southern Cal, with all its history plus the Los Angeles metro area for recruiting, could be down to its third or fourth choice and none of them are going to make the alumni base salivate.

I’m not at all involved with the hiring and firing process at Florida, but this much I do know: If Scott Stricklin is going to fire Dan Mullen, then he needs to have a BETTER coach lined up and ready to come to Gainesville from the moment the clock at The Swamp flatlines at ZERO on November 27. Stricklin cannot afford for Florida to be turned down by three or four coaches. He got away with it in 2017 when Mullen was the third choice. Tennessee, at the same time went through a nightmare scenario before hiring Jeremy Pruitt, who lasted three years before he got the axe.

If the decision is made to give Mullen a chance to fix things, then Stricklin has to ensure the tools are there for success – a personnel budget that is double or triple current levels and allows for hiring a director and staff that eat, breathe and sleep recruiting; at least 10 analysts (Alabama has 15); and a revamped staff of assistants who are as good recruiting as they are coaching.

GROWN MEN WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR WHITE, GATORS

We saw it Sunday when the 24th-ranked Gators took Florida State to the woodshed. Those were grown men the Gators sent out to face the Seminoles and they didn’t flinch when FSU tried to get physical. Unlike the Florida teams of recent years, this bunch of Gators was all too happy to push back. When it came to tough, Florida was the tough team and the Seminoles wilted under the pressure.

These aren’t kids that White sends out on the court one through six – Colin Castleton, Anthony Duruji, Tyree Appleby, Brandon McKissic, Myreon Jones and Phlandrous Fleming Jr. They’re all at least 21 years old and legal adults in every sense of the word. They are physically stronger than perhaps any Florida team we’ve seen since the 2014 team that made it to the Final Four and they’re definitely bought in on the defensive end.

This isn’t the tallest team Mike White has had by far, but it is potentially the best defensive team he’s had. Against FSU, the Gators got after the Seminoles on the perimeter and pushed their offense out so far that it kept the lane clear for Castleton and Duruji. When FSU did venture inside, Castleton blocked six shots and Duruji two. The foursome of Appleby, McKissic, Jones and Fleming hounded the FSU guards and rarely gave up a decent shot, particularly in the final 10 minutes of the game when the Gators took complete control and ran away with it.

The Gators will be tested tonight when they play host to Milwaukee (1-1) of the Horizon League (6 p.m., SEC Network +). The visiting Panthers, led by 6-9 freshman phenom Patrick Baldwin Jr. (20 points, 10.5 rebounds), go 6-10, 6-9 and 6-9 across the front with a pair of 7-footers coming off the bench. It will be imperative for Florida’s grown men to play tough, physical defense on the perimeter once again to keep the Panthers from pounding the inside to wear down Castleton and Duruji, who plays the power forward at 6-7.

Las Vegas favors the Gators by 14 over Milwaukee.

OVER, UNDER, AROUND AND THROUGH THE SEC (FOOTBALL) Alabama (9-1, 5-1 SEC): Biletnikoff semifinalist Jameson Williams, who transferred in from Ohio State, says Ohio State fans “don’t claim me. I don’t claim them. Ohio State fans be tripping. They disowned me. I went to Bama. When I graduate, I will have graduated from Bama.” Williams has 51 catches for 1,028 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Arkansas (7-3, 3-3 SEC): To beat Alabama, HBC Sam Pittman says, “We have to play solid football. You can’t turn the ball over, can’t have special teams blunders.”

Auburn (6-4, 3-3 SEC): Edge rusher Romello Height, who has missed the last three games for undisclosed reasons, will be available Saturday when the Tigers play South Carolina in Columbia. T.D. Moultry, who has three sacks, will miss the first half because of a targeting call in the second half of the Mississippi State loss.

Georgia (10-0, 8-0 SEC): Starting linebacker Adam Anderson, who was jailed on charges of felony rape, was released on bond but is now facing a second rape charge.

Kentucky (7-3, 5-3 SEC): The Wildcats will be favored to win their final two games to finish 9-3, but HBC Mark Stoops isn’t worried so much about winning as much as improving. “The challenge is to get better every week,” Stoops said. “It doesn’t matter who you play.”

LSU (4-6, 2-5 SEC): Although rumors persist that Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley has a serious interest in the LSU job, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic says he is “hearing that is not gonna happen.” Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M) has emphatically said no and Mel Tucker is about to sign a 10-year contract extension to stay at Michigan State.

Mississippi State (6-4, 3-3 SEC): Asked on the SEC Coaches Teleconference why there is such turnover among college football coaches, HBC Mike Leach replied, “Because people are nuts … general societal mental illness.”

Missouri (5-5, 2-4 SEC): Florida QB Emory Jones is a focal point of the Mizzou defense this weekend. Speaking on the SEC Coaches Teleconference Wednesday, HBC Eli Drinkwitz said Jones “presents an extra hat that we’ve got to tackle. Emory’s throwing the ball really well, so that adds a whole other dimension to their offense, with his ability to run but also to stretch the field vertically.”

Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2 SEC): Disgraced Miami booster Nevin Shapiro, who went to prison for securities fraud and money laundering, is tweeting that Ole Miss HBC Lane Kiffin is Miami’s top candidate to replace Manny Diaz if and when Diaz is pink slipped.

South Carolina (5-5, 2-5 SEC): Auburn will be starting 6-7, 246-pound T.J. Finley at quarterback against the Gamecocks Saturday. Asked on the SEC Coaches Teleconference what impresses him about Finley, HBC Shane Beamer said, “The size and the arm strength. If there’s a quarterback in the country with a stronger arm than this guy, I’d like to see it … He’s hard to bring down, has got experience, going back to last year at LSU, obviously.”

Tennessee (5-5, 3-4 SEC): Running back Tiyon Evans (552 yards) missed last week’s game with Georgia due to an injury. His status for South Alabama Saturday isn’t known. HBC Josh Heupel would only say that Evans’ injury probably won’t be season ending.

Texas A&M (7-3, 4-3 SEC): The Aggies, whose facilities are already among the top five in the nation, have committed another $125 million toward re-developing the Bright Football Complex and construction of another indoor practice facility. Additionally 31 new suites will be added to 102,000-seat Kyle Field and $55 million will be spent on a brand new indoor track facility. There are also plans for a brand new academic support facility.

Vanderbilt (2-8, 0-6 SEC): The Commodores, who have only eight sacks in ten games, have to figure out a way to get pressure on Ole Miss QB Matt Corral, who has thrown for 2,774 yards and 17 touchdowns while running for 523 and 10 more.

SEC BASKETBALL Wednesday’s scores: No. 16 Arkansas (3-0) 93, Northern Iowa (1-3) 80; VCU (2-1) 48, Vanderbilt (2-1) 37; Mississippi State (3-0) 77, Detroit Mercy (0-3) 60; Texas A&M (4-0) 73, Houston Baptist (1-2) 38

Thursday’s games: Milwaukee (1-1) at No. 24 FLORIDA (2-0); UAB (3-0) at South Carolina (2-1); Marquette (3-0) at Ole Miss (2-0); McNeese (1-2) at LSU (3-0); Northern Illinois (1-1) at Missouri (1-1)

THESE FOUR SEC FOOTBALL ASSISTANTS WILL BE HEAD COACHES SOMEWHERE IN 2022

Dan Lanning, Defensive Coordinator, Georgia: Georgia’s defense is being called “generational.” Lanning is 35 years old and he’s a lights out recruiter. He grew up in the heart of Big 12 country. If Dave Aranda leaves Baylor for either LSU or Southern Cal and Sonny Dykes leaves SMU for TCU, Lanning will be on speed dial. He’ll get shoved out of the nest by Kirby Smart because he’s got Will Muschamp ready to take over.

Bill O’Brien, Offensive Coordinator, Alabama: He’s been a head coach at Penn State and the NFL and has working for Bill Belichick and Nick Saban on his resume. Alabama’s offense is third in the country in scoring and QB Bryce Young might win the Heisman. He could surface as the HBC at LSU now that the top three choices (Jimbo, Lincoln Riley, Mel Tucker) apparently aren’t going anywhere. With the NCAA targeting Arizona State, O’Brien will be very attractive there since he did clean up the Penn State mess after the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Kendal Briles, Offensive Coordinator, Arkansas: He won’t get the call at Baylor if Aranda leaves, but he will be on a lot of short lists because his Arkansas offenses light it up. He might be the answer at Louisiana if Billy Napier leaves for Virginia Tech or at SMU if Dykes.

Mike Elko, Defensive Coordinator, Texas A&M: He is going to be very attractive, not only because he’s an exceptional defensive mind but because he can recruit. His Ivy League education (Penn) doesn’t hurt. Because he spent 12 years working for Dave Clawson, expectations are that he will make a nice hire for OC. There is a growing rumor out of Blacksburg that if Billy Napier turns down VaTech that Elko will be the next call.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: The one name I keep expecting to hear – but haven’t – as one Division I school after another pink slips its head football coach is Hugh Freeze. I do understand why folks hesitate because of what happened when he was at Ole Miss. Believe it or not, when he was canned back in 2016, it wasn’t for the NCAA violations that happened on his watch, but a morals clause. Apparently he had this thing for escorts. Well, he’s cleaned up his act considerably and is 25-9 at Liberty, which extended him to 2026 and raised him to $3 million. Maybe he’s found peace and a home at Liberty, but at some point I think someone at a Power Five job is going to hire him. He’s too good a coach not to at least get serious looks.