UNLV football coach says ‘I’m not going anywhere’ as coaching carousel spins

It’s not going to stop, especially the more UNLV wins football games.

Dan Mullen’s name is going to come up when coaching jobs open across the country.

It happened again this week when Mullen was included on lists of potential candidates to replace the fired James Franklin at Penn State.

Franklin was let go six games into his 12th season at the helm of the Nittany Lions, despite leading them to the College Football Playoff semifinals in January.

For his part, Mullen has again pledged his commitment to UNLV, just as he did after UCLA and Virginia Tech fired their coaches in September.

“I’ll be here,” Mullen said. “I’m going to be the head coach at UNLV next year. I’m not going anywhere. I told the players, ‘Good or bad, it’s the transfer portal world. Don’t get all excited thinking I might go somewhere you think is a better place. I’m going to be here, so you guys are stuck with me.’”

Mullen and Franklin are good friends. Mullen, like so many others, was surprised when Penn State made the move.

“James Franklin has done an unbelievable job,” Mullen said. “I don’t know. I’m not behind the scenes and don’t know all the situations. But I mean, he was in the national semifinals last year and a couple weeks ago lost in (double) overtime (to Oregon). I feel bad for James. I feel bad for his family and the program. I’ve been through it. It’s not a fun deal.

“I always say they’re going to speculate if you’re being fired or you’re being hired. I’m very, very happy here. I like Vegas. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Going bowling

Mullen signed a five-year, $17.5 million contract after being hired by UNLV in December.

The Rebels are 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West in his first season and are already bowl eligible for the third straight year.

UNLV — which plays at Boise State (4-2, 2-0) on Saturday — has higher aspirations. It wants to be the Group of Five team selected to this year’s College Football Playoff.

The Rebels have stiff competition. South Florida is ranked No. 19 by The Associated Press this week, and Memphis is No. 22. Tulane and Navy are also in the mix.

So UNLV still wants to celebrate another bowl berth.

“It’s really cool,” Mullen said. “I think it’s awesome for the program. Football is a lot of work, and guys put in the time all year long. Basketball plays a ton of games. Baseball, softball, play lots of games. We get 12, and if you’re good enough they reward you with a 13th.

“The better you are, the more you’re rewarded with. So we just earned our 13th, and the opportunity is fantastic. I think the guys are excited about it because we work awful hard for those few opportunities to go play.”

A first

Mullen has never coached against Boise State. He has never experienced the blue turf of Albertsons Stadium, where a sellout crowd will cheer on the Broncos on Saturday.

“We’re playing a very good football team this week,” Mullen said. “One that has set the standard in this league since they joined it. It’s a program where the players have a certain buy-in, a certain belief. Several different coaches have come through, and yet the standard in that program never seems to drop. It will be a huge challenge for our guys on the road.

“(Winning) would be huge. I’m guessing it would be a two-game swing because someone will have the head-to-head battle. Obviously, it’s a big game in that direction. It will be interesting to see.”

Some firepower

UNLV continues to be one of the Mountain West’s best offensive teams.

The Rebels rank second in the conference in points per game (38.2) and third in yards per game (442.3).

“I hope we run more plays,” Mullen said. “We have some explosive guys, some explosive playmakers. The staff does a good job of getting those guys in the open field with the opportunity to make big plays down the field. Being a great coach is taking your guys and putting them in position to do what they do really well.

“There’s a lot of things I’d like to do offensively that just doesn’t fit this team. I like my plays, but some don’t work. Some of my favorite stuff doesn’t fit our personnel.”

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.