Florida Gators Football

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Dan Mullen is the new man in charge in Gainesville, Florida. Which prized recruits did Mullen land in 2018? Watch above as Stephen Nelson and Bleacher Report video expert Michael Felder break down the Gators' 2018 recruiting class.

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Florida added a significant weapon to their future passing game Wednesday when wide receiver prospect Jacob Copeland joined their 2018 recruiting class.  

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported the news, noting Copeland chose the Gators over Alabama and Tennessee.

Copeland checks in at 6'0" and 192 pounds and is a 4-star prospect, per 247Sports. He is the No. 69 overall recruit, No. 12 wide receiver and No. 14 player from the state of Florida in his class.

He drew expected interest from SEC schools and the marquee programs inside the state, but he also caught the attention of national powerhouses during the recruiting process. Teams such as Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon and Alabama were all included on 247Sports' schools of interest at one point before he committed.

Copeland's physicality and precise route running stand out on the outside, and his body control and height make him a dangerous red-zone threat on lobs and fades, especially after he has time to hone his skills in a top-notch collegiate program.

While the Gators have a rich tradition, their aerial attack is nowhere near what it used to be when they were consistently competing for national championships in the mid-2000s. However, landing playmakers such as Copeland is the easiest way to turn that around moving forward.

Florida received a big boost to its 2018 pass rush when defensive end Andrew Chatfield committed to the program Wednesday.

Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun reported Chatfield's decision.  

A Florida native, Chatfield is one of the top defensive end recruits in the 2018 class. The 4-star prospect is 247Sports' No. 13 weak-side defensive end and No. 213 player overall. 

His projectible 6'2", 221-pound frame leaves a lot of room for upside that the Gators' coaching staff will be able to tap into over the next four years. 

Per ESPN's scouting report, Chatfield has already "shown he can get upfield and be disruptive." It'll take time before he showcases his full potential on the field, but the combination of quickness and power makes him a safe bet to become a star in the not-too-distant future. 

The Gators hosted Chatfield during an official visit at the end of January. They clearly made a strong impression on him, with his mother giving praise to the school. 

"It was a great visit," Ketelie Chatfield told SEC Country's Zach Abolverdi. "The environment at Florida was great. It's a great place for a school. I just liked the people, the atmosphere and how well everybody gets along."

Florida head coach Dan Mullen, in his first season with the program, needs a big recruiting class to lead a quick turnaround in the SEC. He had tremendous success at Mississippi State, posting a 69-46 record in nine seasons. 

The Gators are fifth among SEC schools in this year's recruiting rankings, per 247Sports. Competing against Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia for talent is a daunting task. 

Chatfield is the perfect type of player for the Gators to build around. He may need to redshirt while filling out his body, but his ceiling is so high that SEC offenses will eventually be forced to game-plan for him coming off the edge. 

Running back Jordan Scarlett, wide receiver Rick Wells and linebackers James Houston and Ventrell Miller have rejoined the Florida Gators football team after being suspended last season due to felony fraud charges.

According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, head coach Dan Mullen said, "All of our players understand the standards and expectations we have of them to be members of the Florida football program."

Defensive lineman Keivonnis Davis is also enrolled in the school, but he is not yet taking part in team activities due to injury.

Wide receiver Antonio Callaway and defensive lineman Richerd Desir-Jones were charged as well but have yet to rejoin the team.

Per Long, the players charged with fraud may be in line to have the charges dropped due to a pretrial intervention program that requires them to follow probation for one year.

Nine players were suspended in all, and seven were charged with fraud/swindle in obtaining property under $20,000 and use or possession of another person's ID without consent, which are third-degree felonies, according to ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach.

Schlabach reported defensive lineman Jordan Smith and offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort faced additional charges as well.

Among the suspended players, Scarlett was arguably the biggest loss for Florida. As a sophomore in 2016, he rushed for 889 yards and six touchdowns.

Florida didn't have a clear bell-cow back in 2017 with Scarlett out of the picture, as Lamical Perine led the team with 562 rushing yards.

The Gators went just 4-7 on the season, resulting in the dismissal of head coach Jim McElwain, who was later replaced with former Mississippi State head coach Mullen.

Dan Mullen's quest for a new head coaching job didn't take long, as he agreed to lead the University of Florida's football team Sunday.

Florida announced the hire after Brett McMurphy reported the Gators' decision to hire Mullen.

"Megan and I are very excited to get back to Gainesville and the University of Florida," Mullen said in the team release. "I have such great memories of the championships we won during our time here and have a love for Florida. We are happy to be coming back to such a supportive administration, staff, student body and fan base, which is the premier football program in the country.

Mullen has been a fixture in the SEC coaching ranks since 2005, when he was hired as the offensive coordinator at Florida for four seasons on Urban Meyer's staff. 

Mississippi State hired Mullen as its head coach in December 2008. He took over a program that had one winning season from 2001-08. The 45-year-old turned the Bulldogs around, leading them to eight straight bowl appearances and reaching No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 during the 2014 season. 

Mullen agreed to a contract extension at Mississippi State earlier this year that would run through the 2021 season.

Despite his success, Mullen's team often struggled against the top tier of the SEC. He went a combined 2-16 against Alabama and LSU. 

After Mississippi State's 31-28 loss against Mississippi on Nov. 23, Mullen was asked if was going to remain with the program in 2018. 

"I'm happy with our administration," he said (via Robbie Faulk of 247Sports). "The program we've built is pretty special. I'm fortunate to be the coach."

Alas, he will not remain with the program after Florida came calling.

The Gators are traditionally one of the best programs in the SEC, but they went 4-7 this season and have more losing seasons (two) than 10-win campaigns (one) in the last five years.

It may not take them long to bounce back with Mullen at the helm since he is familiar with the conference and school from his time as offensive coordinator. He also has a fertile recruiting ground in-state to take advantage of in the coming years.

The Florida Gators have identified their top target to fill their head coaching vacacy: Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen.  

Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel reported the Gators have been in contact with Mullen since Friday, and Florida could have a final decision about its new head coach by the end of the day Sunday.

According to Thamel, the Gators were also pursuing Chip Kelly and UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost. The UCLA Bruins confirmed they hired Kelly on a five-year deal, while Bleacher Report's Lars Anderson spoke to a source who said it's a "done deal" that the Nebraska Cornhuskers will hire Frost.

Bringing Mullen aboard would be a good move for Florida.

He has experience with the school having worked under Urban Meyer as an assistant from 2005 until 2008, when he left to coach Mississippi State. ESPN Stats & Info showed how good the Gators were offensively with Mullen on the sideline:

During his nine years with the Bulldogs, Mullen proved himself as a head coach as well. Mississippi State is 69-46 under his watch and flirted with a College Football Playoff semifinal bid in 2014. The Bulldogs finished 10-3 that year and lost to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Orange Bowl. 

Mullen has shown an ability to develop quarterbacks. Tim Tebow was a Heisman Trophy winner at Florida in 2007, and three of Mississippi State's top 10 passers, including Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, played under Mullen.

Given Florida's offensive struggles after the end of the Meyer era, Mullen would be a perfect fit.

Representatives for UCF head coach Scott Frost are reportedly set to meet with the University of Florida about the Gators' head coaching vacancy.

On Friday, Mark Schlabach and Edward Aschoff of ESPN.com reported Florida is looking into alternative options in case former University of Oregon and Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly selects UCLA, with his decision expected in the "coming days."

Frost served as a wide receivers coach under Kelly with the Ducks from 2009 through 2012. He then spent three years as the program's offensive coordinator after Kelly made the NFL jump before taking over the UCF program in 2016.

The 42-year-old Nebraska native guided the Knights to a 6-7 mark during his first year in charge.

There's been massive improvement in his second season, however, with the team sporting an 11-0 mark after Friday's thrilling 49-42 victory over South Florida. The win completed a perfect regular season for UCF and punched its ticket to the AAC Championship Game against Memphis next Saturday.

Last week, Frost downplayed speculation he was in contention to take over at the University of Nebraska, his alma mater.

"That's just totally false," Frost told reporters. "I haven't paid attention to all these whirlwind rumors and everything, and I'm not going to. I've got an unbelievable team and I'm going to coach them. I can promise you that no decision has been made about anything."

Talk surrounding his status figures to intensify again if Kelly does choose the Bruins. Colin Cowherd‏ of Fox Sports reported those sides are "getting close" to an agreement.

Schlabach and Aschoff listed Dan Mullen (Mississippi State), Dana Holgorsen (West Virginia), Mike Leach (Washington State) and Willie Taggart (Oregon) as other potential options for the Gators.

Chip Kelly is reportedly out of the running for the University of Florida football team's vacant head coaching position, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports.

Forde reported that Florida officials met with Kelly in New Hampshire on Sunday, but they are now focusing their attention on other candidates.

George Schroeder of USA Today reported Wednesday that Kelly was considering offers from Florida and UCLA after turning down Tennessee.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported that Kelly met with UCLA officials and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman was putting the "full-court press" on Kelly to choose UCLA.

Per Forde, Central Florida head coach Scott Frost may now be Florida's top choice with Kelly reportedly out of the running. Forde added that UCLA is now the likeliest landing spot for Kelly.

The 53-year-old Kelly is currently an ESPN analyst, but he spent the previous eight seasons as a head coach in college and the NFL.

In four years at Oregon from 2009 through 2012, Kelly posted a 46-7 record, which included a trip to the BCS National Championship Game during the 2010 season.

After leaving Oregon, Kelly went 26-21 in three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, and made the playoffs once.

Kelly was hired by the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, but was fired after one season due to a 2-14 record.

Florida parted ways with head coach Jim McElwain in October after a 3-4 start, and Randy Shannon has served as the team's interim head coach.

Florida is apparently not Chip Kelly's only potential destination. Kelly, widely rumored to be the favorite for the Gators' vacancy, met with UCLA officials Tuesday and is expected to decide between the jobs in the "coming days."

Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported the news, tweeting Kelly will not consider other openings.

However, George Schroeder of USA Today reported that UCLA's relationship with Under Armour is a "potential sticking point" given Kelly's relationship with Nike's Phil Knight.

Schroeder added Kelly is "believed to be intrigued" by the Arizona State job, adding that head coach Todd Graham's "status is tenuous." The report noted Arizona State's relationship with Adidas "might not be as difficult an issue with Knight."

Kelly also turned down Tennessee and Nebraska after overtures, per Schroeder. 

Kelly, 53, last coached for the San Francisco 49ers in 2016. He was fired after he went 2-14, which gave him a 28-35 record across four seasons as an NFL head coach, three of which were with the Philadelphia Eagles.

UCLA fired head coach Jim Mora earlier this week. Mora went 46-30 in six seasons with the Bruins but had losing marks each of the last two years.

The Bruins job will require rebuilding on both sides of the ball. While UCLA's offense ranks among the country's most prolific through the air (No. 6), junior quarterback Josh Rosen is likely headed to the NFL. With a defense that ranks near the bottom of college football in most categories—highlighted by a 37.6-points-against average—the UCLA job appears difficult on the surface.

Florida fired Jim McElwain last month after a 3-4 start. McElwain went 22-12 overall and won the SEC East during each of his first two seasons in Gainesville but could not revive one of the sport's most moribund offenses. The Gators finished outside the top 100 in offense in each season under McElwain.

Rebuilding offenses has been Kelly's calling card throughout his career, and Florida has enough defensive talent returning.

The biggest question for Kelly could be the allure of a Pac-12 return versus the challenge of coaching in the SEC. Kelly knows he can have success in the Pac-12; he went 46-7 in four seasons at Oregon and built the Ducks into a perennial title contender. The conference is also lacking a powerhouse program. There's an opportunity for him to build UCLA into the Pac-12's pre-eminent school.

That won't happen at Florida. Alabama is going to be the conference championship favorite so long as Nick Saban is stalking the sidelines. Georgia and Auburn are Top 10 programs. LSU is always hanging around, and Texas A&M will probably make a big coaching splash if it moves on from Kevin Sumlin.

The prospect of taking a job where he's at best the second fiddle in a conference might be the one thing that turns Kelly in UCLA's direction. 

While Florida reportedly remains interested in hiring Chip Kelly to be its next head football coach, the school is widening its search, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports. 

Kelly reportedly met with university president Kent Fuchs, athletic director Scott Stricklin and other Florida officials Sunday but the two sides did not come to an agreement. While the former Oregon coach is still considered the top candidate, the Gators could also look at UCF coach Scott Frost or Mississippi State's Dan Mullen, per Forde.

Florida has been considered one of the top openings in college football since Jim McElwain was fired in October. However, UCLA became an intriguing option after it fired head coach Jim Mora Jr.

According to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, the Bruins are expected to pursue Kelly and several opposing coaches expect him to choose the Pac-12 school if given the choice.

Tennessee also remains an intriguing possibility after firing Butch Jones this month.

Kelly had spent four years in the NFL with the Eagles and 49ers, accumulating a 28-35 record from 2013-16. However, he is such a hot commodity on the coaching carousel thanks to his work at Oregon. He spent four years with the Ducks from 2009-12, earning a 46-7 record and reaching a BCS bowl each season. His squad lost in the national title game after an undefeated 2010 regular season.

Every school is hoping he can bring his high-powered offenses to help return their programs to glory, although it seems Florida is at least hedging its bets by considering other options.