Candidate Profile: The Case For Dan Mullen

WhatTheHell

"WE CANT DEMAND PERFECTION.”
Banned
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
21,161
dan-mullen.jpg

Name: Dan Mullen
From: Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Likes: A fresh pair of slacks
Loves: Making UM board members exclaim "well I never!"


Dan Mullen is an intriguing candidate and one that should get an interview with Miami. Well, another interview. Hopefully this will be conducted by a different group than the one that sat down with him in 2010 and was reportedly aghast at his misuse of the soup spoon during the main course.

Per the Miami Herald:
And UM was turned off by Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen’s big ego, with one trustee saying he acts like he invented the game.

The audacity of him offending the high-born Miami noblemen. Well, good thing we hired the humble, lovable Al Golden. No ego there. Lulz.


Quarterback Coach, Bowling Green University. 2001 - 2002.

- It is here at Bowling Green that Dan Mullen first began his 8-year run as an Urban Meyer disciple
- During his tenure, Mullen made his mark by tutoring QB Josh Harris
- Over his sophomore and junior seasons, Mullen helped Harris improve in every statistical category
- Capped off by his 2002 campaign of 3,162 total yards and 41 total TDs
- Harris rushed for an eye-popping, crotch-tingling 1,351 yards, and 28 TDs under Mullen's guidance
- Meyer and Mullen's high-flying offense earns them an economy class ticket to Salt Lake City


Quarterback Coach, University of Utah. 2003 - 2004

- Mullen's ability as a QB whisperer reaches national levels for his work with Alex Smith
- Mullen arrives to Alex Smith: a freshman with 4 pass attempts to his name
- In his sophomore season, Smith posts an efficient 2,247 yards 15 TDs and 3 Ints through the air
- He chips in 452 yards and 5 TDs on the ground. But wait, there's more..
- 2004 comes and so does the explosion of Alex Smith
- With Mullen's help, Smith posts a ridiculous 2952 yards, 32 TDs, and 4 Ints
- Runs for 631 yards, 10 TDs
- Leads Utah to an undefeated 12-0 season, winning conference player of the year and Fiesta Bowl MVP
- Meyer and Mullen's impressive results prompt Jeremy Foley to hold up a boom box outside their window
- Pack your jorts, we out.


Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach, University of Florida. 2005 - 2008

- After first season growing pains with Chris Leak, Mullen hits his stride installing his offense
- Leads UF to total offenses ranked 19th, 15th, and 14th
- Leak leaves school to take job at Publix
- Mullen discovers perfect QB for his system floating down river in a basket
- Enter lord and savior Tim Tebow
- Mullen's UF offense destroys scoreboards, ranking 3rd and 4th in points the next two seasons
- Mullen instructs his unit to drag SEC and UF record books into the street, set them on fire
- Transforms Tim Tebow into a college deity who destroys countless individual UF and SEC records
- Guides Tebow to a Heisman Trophy in 2007, along with every award created in 2007 and 2008
- Actually forces the NCAA to create new awards for his players and offense
- Tenure is highlighted by National Championship win where his unit racked up nearly 500 yards
- Mullen becomes hot head coaching name, earns himself a sit down with the Miami brass
- During their conference, he states he wants to win football games and score points
- This brings great offense to the aristocratic council, nearly knocking their powdered wigs off
- "Fvck it, I'm a Bulldog."


Head Coach, Mississippi State. 2009 - Present

- Before his arrival, Mississippi State was a dumpster fire
- Their actual mascot was a flaming dumpster
- Over 9 seasons from 2001 - 2009:
- The program averaged 3.5 wins a season
- They reached 1 bowl game
- They won more than 5 games only 1 time
- They finished last place in their division 6 times
- Their conference record was a human doormat-ish 13 - 51
- Zero top 25 finishes

- Over just 6 seasons during Mullen's tenure:
- The program has averaged 7.6 wins a season
- 8.2 removing his first year
- They have reached 5 straight bowl games, winning 3
- Won 5 or more games in all 7 seasons - happened ONCE the 14 years before his arrival
- Conference record improves to 24-28
- Finished in the top 25 two times
- Led program to BCS game and 10 win season in 2014
- That was Miss State's first double digit win season in 16 years
- Only the third double-digit win season in program history
- Last 5 years no losing seasons at a school with a losing record 6 of the 7 years before he was hired
- Last 5 seasons: 9, 7, 8, 7, 10 wins
- Most wins in 5-year stretch in program history
- First time in program history of 5 straight winning seasons


- Upon arriving, Mullen inherited an offense that ranked 114th the season before
- Leading some to wonder if many of the players weren't actually on the floor sleeping during most plays
- In his first season, Mullen improves the unit ranking by 45 spots
- Has brought offense all the way up to 8th in the country last season
- Led by his molding of Dak Prescott at QB whose 2014 season of 4,435 yards and 42 total TDs in the SEC is what boners are made of

- But Mullen ain't no bltch. As told by him to SI in a 2013 interview. "I ain't no bltch." - Dan Mullen
- Despite being a QB and offensive guru, Mississippi State has posted top 20 defenses the last two seasons


WhatTheHell's Thoughts on the Candidate:

*Gruden voice: this guy's just a football coach, man. Comes from a Meyer coaching tree stronger than Oak. Meyer's got a big old hickory tree of coaching disciples that are just swinging around football right now, man.* 10 head coaches, to be exact, including Doc Holliday, Charlie Strong, Kyle Whittingham, Tom Herman and Dan Mullen.

Offensively, Mullen brings in an exciting spread offense that utilizes the QB as another weapon in the run game. The most important position in college football, he has tutored and churned out star QBs everywhere he's been. Josh Harris, Alex Smith, Tim Tebow, and Dak Prescott have all enjoyed monstrous seasons under him, riding their play to successful years for their programs. Mullen's offense is not fluff, it's not soft -- it's smashmouth. He leans on the run game and employs many aspects of a traditional, under center power scheme. I think his offense is the perfect balance of spread and power that would work very well in South Florida. It is not a high-flying trapeze act of an offense that will wet their pants on 3rd and short. It's an offense that'll line up and smack some tlts in the trenches and move bodies. This is a physical team.

Even though he's improved them, Mississippi State's recruiting classes are still routinely among the bottom teams in the SEC rankings wise, and usually dead last in the West. Given that he's squaring up with LSU, Alabama, Auburn, aTm, and Ole Miss every season, I think he's done an amazing job despite being outmanned and outgunned. A lot of times on here we talk about coaches who "do more with less" as a sign of their ability. I think Dan Mullen is hard to beat in this category and it's an important question to ask when evaluating a coach. How does he perform relative to his talent and opponents? I believe Mullen can build a tough team and an offense that produces a star QB centered around a power run game while employing modern spread concepts. There were times we looked past record and dug deeper, uncovering tough as nails football coaches that could lead Miami with contemporary schemes and a face that turns redder than the devil's dlck. Just good football coaches, man.

Dan Mullen is 53-33 overall at Mississippi State.
Jimmy Johnson was 29-25 at Oklahoma State before UM.
Dennis Errickson was 50-31 in his career before Miami.

I believe Dan Mullen would be a great fit at UM. I'd like to see Dan Mullen no longer fight, scratch, and claw for scraps from the table during the recruiting season only to have to lead that roster into war against juggernaut death squads. I believe at Miami he'd get a chance to arm himself to the teeth and no longer be forced to bring a knife to a gun fight. I'm all out of idioms, but I firmly feel Dan Mullen should get an interview with Miami, because part of me believes he's tired of throwing pebbles at tanks.
 
Last edited:
Advertisement
excellent post, I was very upset that we passed on him after I saw him take Mississippi State to that BCS bowl
 
excellent post, I was very upset that we passed on him after I saw him take Mississippi State to that BCS bowl

Yeah we severely f'd that up in 2010. Brushing this guy aside because he was a "meanie head" is just another in a long line of mistakes by this athletic department.

My only hope is that he sat down with us once, maybe he's willing to listen again. Blake or someone is leaking it out and trying to drive home the point that money ain't a thang. Mullen makes 4 on the dot. Prove it.
 
Last edited:
Advertisement
Why is MSU stinking this year when they had a great year last year AND they returned Prescott?
 
Why is MSU stinking this year when they had a great year last year AND they returned Prescott?

Stinking? Lost by 2 to LSU and only 13 away at TAM. Meanwhile we lost 58-0 at home to Clemson. I'd hardly call them stinking. They beat who they were supposed to and played close to better teams.
 
Why is MSU stinking this year when they had a great year last year AND they returned Prescott?

6-2 with a 2 point loss to lsu and 2 td loss at T A&M isnt stinking....here he is historically against a pretty stout schedule that is tougher than any schedule the canes play year in and out.
Untitled.jpg
 
Advertisement
He is also 43 years old (young).

He has a history with QBs, as in getting the most out of them:

Bowling Green: Josh Harris (was in the NFL and Mullen was QB coach)
Utah: Alex Smith (Mullen was QB coach)
Florida: Leak and Te***
Miss State: Prescott

Prediction: He goes to USC if they want to hire from the college ranks.
 
Yeah we severely f'd that up in 2010. Brushing this guy aside because he was a "meanie head" is just another in a long line of mistakes by this athletic department.

still not as bad as us choosing Shannon over Gary Patterson in 2006. imagine how much different things would've been with some foresight.
 
Would take. He's a savage so I have no concern at us actually hiring him. Flake would absolutely **** her pants if Mullen agreed to an interview.
 
Would take. He's a savage so I have no concern at us actually hiring him. Flake would absolutely **** her pants if Mullen agreed to an interview.

Think it's a looooooong shot but he would be at the top of my candidate list. If not someone like Butch we need a young savage like Mullen, Herman etc. No guys you have to make excuses for (not a good fit, doesn't have the players he needs, that's a terrible football school, etc.)
 
Advertisement
Did Florida not consider him last year? Seemed like a better option than Mcelwain at the time.
 
He should be at the top of our wish list. People want to look at the shiny object of Fuentes and Herman, because they are beating up high school teams. Mullen brought Miss st. to a BCS game and made them a consistent winner in the toughest division in CFB.

My guess is that we would be competing with USC and SC. I don't think he would go to the west coast. The question becomes: what are his career aspirations? If he wants to be a career college guy, we can't compete with SC. He will have more money and less pressure there. However, if he wants to go play with the big boys, I think our reputation speaks for itself.
 
Did Florida not consider him last year? Seemed like a better option than Mcelwain at the time.

A lot of their fans really wanted them to hire him. They threw together a few websites about hiring back Dan! But..

However, ESPN reported Florida isn't interested in Mullen. Yahoo Sports reported there was a friction between Mullen and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley.
 
Advertisement
He should be at the top of our wish list. People want to look at the shiny object of Fuentes and Herman, because they are beating up high school teams. Mullen brought Miss st. to a BCS game and made them a consistent winner in the toughest division in CFB.

My guess is that we would be competing with USC and SC. I don't think he would go to the west coast. The question becomes: what are his career aspirations? If he wants to be a career college guy, we can't compete with SC. He will have more money and less pressure there. However, if he wants to go play with the big boys, I think our reputation speaks for itself.

Wish list is the correct word. Just signed an extension making $4 million per year (our reported willing to pay figure). Unless the wife is unhappy or he wants to live near the beach. Plus it seems he didn't jive well previously with BOT member(s). If the BOT stuff is true they probably won't even consider him this time which is a shame.
 
Did Florida not consider him last year? Seemed like a better option than Mcelwain at the time.

A lot of their fans really wanted them to hire him. They threw together a few websites about hiring back Dan! But..

However, ESPN reported Florida isn't interested in Mullen. Yahoo Sports reported there was a friction between Mullen and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley.

****. If Foley can't work with him then we've got no shot.
 
Why does it seem some people would rather have Herman over Dan Mullen? Isn't he more established than Herman?
 
Advertisement
Back
Top