Entering—well, as scheduled, at least—a 2020 season with top talent seeping out of the west of the Southeastern Conference, perhaps this could be considered a surprise considering the usual suspects: Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen has been voted the SEC Preseason Head Coach of the Year by the team of Sports Illustrated SEC publishers.
Mullen, entering his third year as Florida’s head coach, has punched back-to-back tickets to New Year’s Six Bowl games, defeating Michigan in the 2018 Peach Bowl and Virginia in the 2019 Orange Bowl. Coming after two head coach firings by Florida in the three years prior to the Mullen era, his first two seasons on the job marked quite the turnaround.
Now, the expectations are rising even higher. Should there be a 2020 season, the Gators are in a position to take the reigns in the SEC East.