Dan Mullen at ESPN in 2022. Dan Mullen at ESPN ahead of the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 28, 2022 in 2022. (Nelson Chenault/USA Today Sports.)

Former ESPN college football analyst Dan Mullen is set to find himself down on the sidelines as a coach for the first time since 2021 this coming season. He’ll be leading the UNLV Rebels. But this time around, Mullen believes he has an advantage stemming from his media work.

Mullen most recently spent four seasons at the University of Florida before being let go after the 2021 season. He worked at ESPN as a studio and color analyst from 2022 to the end of this past regular season. And he’ll now be joining a UNLV program that was left in good hands.

Former head coach Barry Odom, who left for the vacant Purdue job, helped lead UNLV to 11 wins this past season. That was the most the program has had in a season since 1984.

It will now be on Mullen to continue the recent success in Las Vegas. And he’s already brought in two players through the transfer portal, former Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea and former Michigan pivot Alex Orji. And Mullen cited his time at ESPN in putting those players on his radar.

“Well, you look at the guys, we actually got two quarterbacks. Anthony Colandrea from [the University of Virginia] that I’ve seen make a ton of plays, and Alex Orji. The greatest thing you have being at ESPN, I’ve gotten to watch everybody play,” Mullen said during an appearance on Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich on Tuesday. “You sit in that room all day, and I’m watching every game in college football. I’ve seen them all.”

Mullen talked specifically about Orji, detailing how he believed that he saw a skill set that he thinks wasn’t properly utilized by Michigan this past season.

“I was watching some of the games, and I’m saying, ‘Hey, when they put that guy in a position to do what he does well, Ohio State wasn’t tackling him, and they are playing for a national championship.’ But to sit there and put him in a position to do things where you’re not highlighting his strengths all the time is confusing to me.”

It can be argued that Mullen got somewhat of a raw deal in his departure at Florida. He posted an overall record of 34-15 at the program before being let go. Successor Billy Napier has gone 19-19 across three seasons so far, and was taking quite the flak from fans early this season before eventually finishing with an 8-5 record.

Perhaps Mullen’s time spent evaluating talent at ESPN will help bring him success at UNLV. At the very least, he will have two new quarterbacks at his disposal who offer him vastly different skill sets to work with.

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.