Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel again reported that the three main targets for the Florida Gators during their current coaching search center around Scott Frost at UCF, former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly, and Dan Mullen at Mississippi State.

Thamel wrote, “Don’t expect Florida to formally reach out or attempt to interview Frost until after the American Athletic Conference title game on Dec. 2,” which is standard protocol.

With Kelly, Thamel did state that Florida is in the process of vetting the current ESPN analyst, particularly his issues with the NCAA at Oregon. However, Thamel writes, “The early read on how administrators at Florida and the SEC perceive the recruiting transgressions during Kelly’s tenure at Oregon is positive for the coach. A safe way to view Kelly’s NCAA issues is that not all show causes are created equally, and his issues at Oregon don’t appear to be a significant hindrance to his potential hiring at Florida.”

A hire of Kelly would likely come well before conference title games on December 2. That was one of the top benefits outlined HERE to VIP subscribers earlier on Thursday, but there are also drawbacks to Kelly. As Thamel noted, he’s less than thrilled with booster obligations, the above mentioned NCAA run-in, and general “low-key personality” that may be an issue at a high-profile job.





Thamel moved on to Mullen, stating “Mullen-to-Florida still seems an unlikely marriage.”

To read Thamel's entire article, click HERE.