Latest news with #DanMullen
Daily Mail
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Outrage as notoriously 'dirty' Vontaze Burfict gets job with UNLV
Former Cincinnati Bengals star Vontaze Burfict's has agreed to become an assistant coach with the Running Rebels. The 'defensive analyst' position is his first coaching job since his last NFL game with the Oakland Raiders in 2019. Burfict has not officially retired from the NFL, but he sustained several significant concussions and other injuries over seven impactful seasons, so a return to the pros is unlikely. He will be working under UNLV head coach Dan Mullen and interim defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who previously coached Burfict with the Bengals and Raiders. Reaction to the news was somewhat divided, given Burfict's reputation for dirty play. Many congratulated him on his first NCAA job, while others were quick to remember his late hits, personal fouls, fines, and suspensions. 'Take the over on UNLV personal fouls in 2025, y'all,' CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli wrote on X. 'Nice,' one fan began, 'he can teach them the fine art of head hunting.' Others were fairly blunt. 'If anyone should not be teaching young men how to play football, it's Vontaze Burfict,' one fan wrote. The LA native famously knocked out Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown during a playoff game, leading to a three-game suspension at the start of the 2016 season. 'That's pathetic,' Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert said at the time. 'The NFL has to do something about that. 'A guy like that, going out there intentionally trying to hurt people, there's no need for that kind of playing in this league. It's sad. One of these days he'll grow up.' Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recalled Burfict threatening another Steelers player after injuring Brown. 'He hits [Brown], then, literally, as I am under center for the next play, he points at [JuJu Smith-Schuster] and says, 'You're next.'' Even Bengals receiver A.J. Green admitted the hit was 'dirty' the following season. 'We already play a dangerous sport,' Brown said in 2017. 'We all put our lives on the line when we come out here every week, and you don't want anything like that to happen to a player, no matter what team you play for or how big the rivalry is. We have to protect each other.' And Burfict wasn't finished. After signing with the Raiders in 2019, he was called for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle, leading to Burfict's ejection. He was suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season the following day, with NFL vice president of football operations and chief disciplinarian officer Jon Runyan citing Burfict's history of violations. 'You have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk,' read Runyan's letter to Burfict.
Daily Mail
08-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
NFL fans say the same thing as notoriously dirty ex-Bengals star Vontaze Burfict gets job with UNLV
Vontaze Burfict's NFL rivals, and even the occasional teammate, have called the infamous former linebacker 'dirty' at one time or another. UNLV football players will call him 'Coach Burfict.' Still just 34, but five years removed from his own controversial NFL career, the former Cincinnati Bengals star has agreed to become an assistant coach with the Running Rebels. The 'defensive analyst' position is his first coaching job since his last NFL game with the Oakland Raiders in 2019. Burfict has not officially retired from the NFL, but he sustained several significant concussions and other injuries over seven impactful seasons, so a return to the pros is unlikely. He will be working under UNLV head coach Dan Mullen and interim defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, who previously coached Burfict with the Bengals and Raiders. Reaction to the news was somewhat divided, given Burfict's reputation for dirty play. Many congratulated him on his first NCAA job, while others were quick to remember his late hits, personal fouls, fines and suspensions. In fact, many football devotees were inspired to make the same joke. 'Take the over on UNLV personal fouls in 2025, y'all,' CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli wrote on X. 'Nice,' one fan began, 'he can teach them the fine art of head hunting.' Others were fairly blunt. 'If anyone should not be teaching young men how to play football, it's Vontaze Burfict,' one fan wrote. Of course, Burfict's reputation didn't come about by accident. The Los Angeles native infamously knocked out Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown during a playoff game, leading to a three-game suspension at the start of the 2016 season. 'That's pathetic,' Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert said at the time. 'The NFL has to do something about that. A guy like that, going out there intentionally trying to hurt people, there's no need for that kind of playing in this league. It's sad. One of these days he'll grow up.' Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recalled Burfict threatening another Steelers player after injuring Brown. 'He hits [Brown], then, literally, as I am under center for the next play, he points at [JuJu Smith-Schuster] and says, 'You're next.'' Even Bengals receiver A.J. Green admitted the hit was 'dirty' the following season. 'We already play a dangerous sport,' Brown said in 2017. 'We all put our lives on the line when we come out here every week, and you don't want anything like that to happen to a player, no matter what team you play for or how big the rivalry is. We have to protect each other.' And Burfict wasn't finished. After signing with the Raiders in 2019, he was called for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle, leading to Burfict's ejection. He was suspended for the remainder of the 2019 season the following day, with NFL vice president of football operations and chief disciplinarian officer Jon Runyan citing Burfict's history of violations. 'You have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designated to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk,' read Runyan's letter to Burfict.
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida among top tiers when it comes to college football's best coaching jobs
Following a brutal start to the decade, things are finally looking bright again in Gainesville for Florida football. Against the odds, the Gators finished the 2024 campaign with eight wins to snap a three-year sub-.500 streak while earning their first bowl victory since 2019. Suffice it to say, things have come a long way since Billy Napier took over for the much-maligned Dan Mullen ahead of the 2022 season. The Orange and Blue were mired in mediocrity for the head coach's first two years at the helm, igniting hot-seat rumors despite a complete overhaul of the program that clearly needed time to allow the fruits of those labors to be harvested. While some of the pressure has eased off, every game — if not every play — counts in the Southeastern Conference, so there will always be an inherent undercurrent of stress on the coaching staff. Back at the end of February, The Athletic still felt like Napier's job was still among those with the least amount of security, ranking his Florida gig at No. 15 out of 16 schools in order of most to least secure. However, some things have changed since then — there has been the Orange and Blue game, NCAA transfer portal, DJ Lagway's return to good health, and many other developments over the past six months. Now, CBS Sports writer Brad Crawford has a much more bullish take on the Gators' coaching gig. In his recent column tackling the topic of college football's best coaching jobs, Crawford organized the cream of the crop into three tiers: diamond, elite and silver. He considered five factors in determining a cumulative score for the nation's featured jobs, assigning a subjective number grade from 1-5, with "1" being the lowest classification and "5" being elite: Among those mentioned were the Florida Gators, who are listed in the elite tier of best coaching jobs in college football. CBS Sports' best coaching jobs in college football Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UNLV football moves Dan Mullen's debut up to Week 0 to accommodate Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight
UNLV is moving Dan Mullen's coaching debut for the Rebels to make way for the super-middleweight fight between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium. The Rebels were originally scheduled to face the Idaho State Bengals on September 13, but have moved the game to become their season opener on August 23. On Friday, UNLV announced that the NCAA approved its waiver to start their season in Week 0 to make the stadium available for the highly anticipated fight. In a statement, UNLV athletic director Erick Harper noted that the program explored several options while dealing with the scheduling conflict. Advertisement "The World Championship Boxing Match is important to Las Vegas, and the impact it will have on tourism is unmatched," Harper said. "Las Vegas is the Sports and Entertainment Capital, and we are a part of this amazing epicenter. As community members and an institution that works closely with many of the city's great constituents, we felt it was important to request a waiver to show our commitment to the community. Harper added that the program looked at several alternatives to moving the game to Week 0, but that solution was "the most logical." After getting fired from Florida in 2021, Mullen took a hiatus from coaching and volunteered at Lake Oconee Academy in 2022. He arrives in Las Vegas after former head coach Barry Odom left to take the head coaching job at Purdue. In two seasons in charge of the team, Odom led the Rebels to 9-5 and 10-3 records. Mullen previously coached at Mississippi State before Florida. He led the Bulldogs to a 69-46 record from 2009-2017 and the Gators to a 34-15 record from 2018-2021.
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: Time at ESPN Revives and Informs Mullen in Return to Coaching
'I feel very fortunate that I get to maybe rewrite the ending. I don't like the current ending.' DAN MULLEN, the new football coach at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, reflecting on his bitter parting with the University of Florida.
