It doesn't seem likely that Dan Mullen will be the head coach of the Florida Gators beyond the 2021 season.

In fact, if you're reading this, it's possible he's already been fired (struggling against Samford, as the Gators did on Saturday, is a quick way to get fired).

Mullen's tenure at Florida started out promising. He won 10 games in his first season and 11 games in his second season. In Mullen's third season, the Gators won the SEC East (and nearly upset Alabama in the SEC Championship game).

This season, however, things haven't gone quite as smoothly. Mullen's cringeworthy personality, combined with a lack of results, has made it increasingly difficult to see the veteran head coach back in Gainesville next season.

Firing Mullen makes sense. It's clear he's lost the program. A down year is one thing. But Florida should easily finish No. 2 in the SEC this season. The only reason the Gators are 2-5 in SEC play is because Mullen has failed the program.

The problem with firing Mullen, though, is that the replacement pool of proven candidates isn't very deep.

It doesn't help that the USC and LSU jobs are open.

If the Gators fire Mullen, who do they hire?

I would think that Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin would be high on the list. But he also might be high on LSU's list.

The LSU job is the better job. And I think Kiffin would jump at the chance to take over the Tigers' talented roster.

Florida is a good job, too. It's easily one of the best jobs in the nation, but I could see Kiffin passing on it. Why go somewhere that goes through head coaches at a rapid pace?

The next coach hired at Florida will be the sixth head coach in Gainesville since Steve Spurrier left for the NFL after the 2001 season?

Kiffin has it made in Oxford. He has good job security. And I think he believes he can get the talent he needs to make a run in the SEC West.

If the Gators miss on Kiffin, they could look at Penn State head coach James Franklin — but I'm not sure that would be an upgrade. Franklin, like Mullen, has a strange personality. And his star has fallen quite a bit over the last couple of months. He could also be in play at USC.

From there, you look at names like Michigan State's Mel Tucker or Cincinnati's Luke Fickell. I don't think Fickell is going to the SEC. And Tucker caught a lot of flack for leaving Colorado after one season. I'm not sure he'd want to leave Michigan State after two seasons.

It's very possible that Florida's coaching search could get to a point where they're looking at a first-time head coach. Someone like Ole Miss offensive coordinator Jeff Lebbry or Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko. Neither of those would be automatic upgrades over Mullen.

Florida could be entering an extended down period for the program.

This next hire — if Mullen is fired — will be critical for the Gators. If they mess it up, they could sink to the bottom half of the SEC East for a few years.

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