Ex-Florida coach Dan Mullen returns to the sidelines again with huge NIL budget

College football teams have never been more urgent to hire high-profile coaches like they have been this cycle. It started with Bill Belichick landing at North Carolina after spending a year away from the sidelines. 

Now UNLV is bringing Dan Mullen back to the sidelines. And just like the Belichick move, it comes with a massive NIL budget to build, essentially his dream team. And as I wrote Wednesday after Belichick officially finalized his deal, it could be a trend that schools use. 

In a way, it’s a win-win. For teams that have the resources, they can lure big time coaches to their program with the guarantee that they’ll get a head start. And it also makes the school more competitive in putting more NIL funds into the football program. 

But could this create a tricky situation for coaches and programs. Because players have talked about teams not fulfilling their portion of the NIL agreement. Could coaches have that same problem? Empty promises help no one so while it’s glamorous now, it could be an issue moving forward. 

Dan Mullen, Bill Belichick set new standard for hiring practices for college football coaches

Mullen and Belichick landing jobs and being gifted with massive NIL budgets is a good and bad thing. For one, it means they get to come in and have almost everything they need to compete in today’s recruiting era. 

It means they have no excuses as to why they can’t build a program on a fast track. While yes, some of the top high school players aren’t going to opt for UNLV or North Carolina because they aren’t an SEC or Big Ten school, it also means their selection of players is larger. 

Because for the high school recruits and transfer portal players that can be swayed by money and a coach with a brand behind them, those schools can be attractive. It also means smaller teams that have the ability to expand their NIL resources and close that gap. 

Again, it doesn’t mean UNLV will immediately become a powerhouse because Mullen and a gracious NIL package are in play. But it does mean neither coach has to worry about truly rebuilding their respective teams from the ground up. 

With it comes higher expectations – Mullen and Belichick won’t have the luxury to take their time to win, have sustained success and be competing in the College Football Playoff. Because their deals involved an influx in NIL money, it means that money can’t go to waste. 

Hopefully their contracts came with lucrative buyouts, because that will be the only thing that keeps them from getting jettisoned before they reach the potential they want.