ESPN college football analyst Dan Mullen, the former head coach at Florida and Mississippi State, has agreed in principle to a five-year deal to be UNLV's next head coach, a source told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Thursday.
The deal isn't signed, but it is expected to be finalized in the near future, a source told ESPN.
Mullen, 52, last coached with the Gators in 2021, when he was fired after four seasons with a 34-15 record, an appearance in the SEC championship game and three New Year's Six bowl games. Prior to that, he had a 69-46 mark over nine seasons at Mississippi State.
Mullen, who has a career record of 103-61 over 13 seasons, joined ESPN as a college football analyst in 2022.
He replaces Barry Odom, who left UNLV to take the head coaching job at Purdue on Dec. 8.
Odom went 19-8 in two seasons and led the Rebels to back-to-back Mountain West championship game appearances.
The Rebels will be losing some key players, including quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, wide receiver Ricky White III, linebacker Jackson Woodard and defensive back Jalen Catalon. Woodard was named the Mountain West defensive player of the year, and White the conference's top special teams player after he blocked four punts.
UNLV (10-3) will face Cal (6-6) in the Art of Sport LA Bowl on Wednesday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Football Scoop first reported Mullen's candidacy with UNLV.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.