***Video above is the full feature that not only shows an interview with Megan Mullen but also with a few players. Below is a transcription and expanded quotes.***

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- When Dan Mullen arrived in Gainesville, the Florida head coach said he needed to change the culture around the program before finding success.

Mullen put together a staff in order to succeed on the field, however, he says his coach at home, Megan Mullen, is just as important to the Gators' future success.

“At first maybe when I came in they said, 'wow, who is that blond thats around and is always hugging me,'” Megan Mullen joked.”Now they come up to me and hug me and talk to me before I get to them.”

Mullen has her own way of doing things. 'Mama Mullen,' as the team and recruits alike call her, is not one to stand on the sidelines.

Just as competitive as her husband, she is ready every Saturday, helping to motivate the Gators by waiting for the buses to arrive. There she greets every player, her adopted sons, sharing a special message for each one.

“I’m always ready to get the hug,” defensive tackle Kyree Campbell said. “Every time we get off the bus she is ready to give us a hug and a kiss on the cheek."

"It motivates us man, just having somebody that shows a lot of love like that,” running back Lamical Perine said.

“The way she shows love to us it’s a cool thing to have,” wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland said. “It’s good to have a lady like that, sweet and kind.”

“When we were here ten years ago it was the same. They are our children,” said Megan. “I have two at home, I have a fur baby and a big baby as a husband and 119 others.”

She is not just a coach's wife or the 'First Lady' of Florida football. She is her husband's partner. She is each player's sounding board.

“She is like the co-head coach when it comes to being around the players,” Dan Mullen said of his wife. “You know pick them up and she is always positive, always has a smile on her face. But thats who she is. Not just around the players but she does that for me, she always puts a smile on my face.”

Dan and Megan's story began in Ohio, where Dan was a quarterbacks coach at Bowling Green and Megan was a sports anchor at a local television station.

A few emails from Dan later and they were a couple.

Both careers soared. Megan earned her way to the top by becoming the main anchor on the Golf Channel in Orlando, while Dan was the offensive coordinator at Florida.

"We had the discussion at one point, I mean, hey, if Good Morning America calls or one of those calls I could be coaching at Poly Prep High School in Brooklyn," Dan joked. "The opportunity when I became a head coach, we were going all-in one way or the other, and when I became the head coach she was all-in. It’s really a two-person job."

The Mullens journeyed together to Starkville to start a new chapter together as Dan began his head coaching career. Always together.

Raising their children, Canon and Bree, and a few hundred adopted 'babies'.

Megan never regretted her decision to step back.



