Dan Mullen has a complicated relationship with Florida after being fired as the coach of the Gators in 2021. As a current ESPN analyst he frequently shares his thoughts on how his former team looks on the field. Wednesday, Mullen waded into the recruiting discussion.

Mullen’s much-maligned recruiting efforts were frequently cited when Florida made a coaching change. Billy Napier had some ups-and-downs assembling his third Florida recruiting class on Wednesday’s Early Signing Day. Mullen had an interesting response to a tweet showing how the recruiting rankings compare for the two coaches.

Radio host Marc Ryan noted that despite the coaches’ reputations, Mullen’s classes are ranked higher on average. The social media post got the attention of Mullen, who added that Florida’s facilities have gotten better under Napier. The $85 million Heavener Center opened in August 2022, roughly 9 months after Mullen’s firing.

Mullen’s critics would be quick to note that he had multiple commitments fail to ever suit up for the Gators for various reasons. The product on the field in 2021 showed that the Mullen staff had not successfully recruited and developed a competitive SEC roster. A common assessment of the 2021 season was that the Gators were struggling without players who had been recruited by Jim McElwain, especially Kyle Trask, Kyle Pitts and Kadarius Toney.

While Mullen noted Florida’s improved facilities, many recruiting observers would say NIL has overtaken facilities’ importance in landing the top prospects. NIL was introduced in 2021, Mullen’s final year, but it’s safe to say Napier is dealing with a completely different landscape than his predecessor.

Gator Nation hopes that Napier proves to be a better evaluator of talent than Mullen and has teams that outperform their recruiting rankings. On the field, Florida has taken a big step back, going only 11-14 in the first 2 seasons under Napier, which has led to some hot seat chatter. Mullen posted a 21-5 record in his first 2 seasons at Florida.