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Candidate Profile: The Case For Dan Mullen

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canefan88xbl said:
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.
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Moving from Miss St to The Kaks is a lateral move no doubt. I don't see him doing that.
 
I have been Lukewarm about him in the past. Mostly b/c of his offensive system.

I'm at the point now where I don't care what we run, I just want to win. Mullen is very interesting, and this thread has made me really think again about him.
 
His mediocre bowl record is further evidence he is not the right guy for UM.

No bowl game in 2009, victories over Mich. in 2010, Wake Forest in 2011, and Rice in 2013.

Losses to Northwestern in 2012 and Ga Tech last year when they were supposedly a top 10 team.

He's ok, but there is a reason big time schools have not gone after him.

They started out 2012 at 7-0, then lost 5 of 6 to end the season. That should remind you of somebody else.
 
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Similar to Gary Patterson back when Shannon was hired and hue Jackson when we refused to fire golden last year, the Dan Mullen ship has most likely sailed. He'd be a very good hire and I would take him in a heart beat, but his salary requirements is probably out of our range at this point.
 
I'd love to know how Mississippi State, the most pathetic of Power-5 schools, can somehow pay more than us. Not only are we in a profit sharing conference that just signed an absurdly lucrative Adidas deal, but this team has won 5 titles in my lifetime.

It is inexcusable that would "couldn't afford him". That's BS. If you want good coaches, you pay for them.
 
NVA CANE said:
Similar to Gary Patterson back when Shannon was hired and hue Jackson when we refused to fire golden last year, the Dan Mullen ship has most likely sailed. He'd be a very good hire and I would take him in a heart beat, but his salary requirements is probably out of our range at this point.
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You think the salary would be an issue?

i can't imagine we spend what we spent on the buyout, but go cheap on the next coach's salary.

And if we're paying $4MM, as has been rumored, that's establish coach money, IMO.
 
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drifters1234 said:
His mediocre bowl record is further evidence he is not the right guy for UM.

No bowl game in 2009, victories over Mich. in 2010, Wake Forest in 2011, and Rice in 2013.

Losses to Northwestern in 2012 and Ga Tech last year when they were supposedly a top 10 team.

He's ok, but there is a reason big time schools have not gone after him.

They started out 2012 at 7-0, then lost 5 of 6 to end the season. That should remind you of somebody else.
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Your comments cannot be serious. Every coach losses football games. He is playing in the hardest conference, division in college football and has found success. His record reminds me of someone and its not Al Golden.
 
MIATL said:
NVA CANE said:
Similar to Gary Patterson back when Shannon was hired and hue Jackson when we refused to fire golden last year, the Dan Mullen ship has most likely sailed. He'd be a very good hire and I would take him in a heart beat, but his salary requirements is probably out of our range at this point.
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You think the salary would be an issue?

i can't imagine we spend what we spent on the buyout, but go cheap on the next coach's salary.

And if we're paying $4MM, as has been rumored, that's establish coach money, IMO.
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I think it's an issue cause I believe he makes $4 million already. I would assume to take the job we would have to sweeten the deal for him. I don't know that the school would go that much higher than the $4 million they leaked out if they would go higher at all.
 
I'm in awe at anyone that tries to diminish what Mullen is doing at Mississippi State. Their program was a giant toilet bowl when he got there. He's leading them to unprecedented levels of success as I highlighted in my OP. There's a reason he's guiding them to success they've never experienced: one, he's a great coach, two, their program is buttcheeks. He was given a giant toilet bowl program surrounded by giants. He's in the best division in college football, going up against behemoth programs and he's turned them into a contender.

They won 10 games last year and made a BCS game.
He's 7-2 right now and ranked in the top 20.

He's doing this with recruiting classes well below the majority of his opponents. He's doing this as he operates in the shadow of Death Star programs like LSU, Alabama, and aTm in his own division, just floating around building million dollar upgrades and dominating recruiting. I hope the people conducting our search have better foresight and understand what Mullen would be capable of at a program on an even playing field.
 
If I were led to believe he was a viable option, I would have a hard time putting anyone above him (realistically)

He's a savage
 
WhatTheHell said:
I'm in awe at anyone that tries to diminish what Mullen is doing at Mississippi State. Their program was a giant toilet bowl when he got there. He's leading them to unprecedented levels of success as I highlighted in my OP. There's a reason he's guiding them to success they've never experienced: one, he's a great coach, two, their program is buttcheeks. He was given a giant toilet bowl program surrounded by giants. He's in the best division in college football, going up against behemoth programs and he's turned them into a contender.

They won 10 games last year and made a BCS game.
He's 7-2 right now and ranked in the top 20.

He's doing this with recruiting classes well below the majority of his opponents. He's doing this as he operates in the shadow of Death Star programs like LSU, Alabama, and aTm in his own division, just floating around building million dollar upgrades and dominating recruiting. I hope the people conducting our search have better foresight and understand what Mullen would be capable of at a program on an even playing field.
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We are obviously not going to convince one another. All I can say is that I have watched a lot of MSU football over the last several years, and they have choked away countless games that they should have won. And one of the consistent themes is being baffled at Mullen's play calling down the stretch.
 
WhatTheHell said:
I'm in awe at anyone that tries to diminish what Mullen is doing at Mississippi State. Their program was a giant toilet bowl when he got there. He's leading them to unprecedented levels of success as I highlighted in my OP. There's a reason he's guiding them to success they've never experienced: one, he's a great coach, two, their program is buttcheeks. He was given a giant toilet bowl program surrounded by giants. He's in the best division in college football, going up against behemoth programs and he's turned them into a contender.

They won 10 games last year and made a BCS game.
He's 7-2 right now and ranked in the top 20.

He's doing this with recruiting classes well below the majority of his opponents. He's doing this as he operates in the shadow of Death Star programs like LSU, Alabama, and aTm in his own division, just floating around building million dollar upgrades and dominating recruiting. I hope the people conducting our search have better foresight and understand what Mullen would be capable of at a program on an even playing field.
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But, but, he's not a "Miami guy", and Kaaya (who will only be here for 2 more years, tops) doesn't fit in to his system!!!
 
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ESPN is seeing the light.

Is time right for Dan Mullen to leave Mississippi State? - SEC Blog - ESPN


Is time right for Dan Mullen to leave Mississippi State?

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Dan Mullen has made a good life for his family in Starkville. He’s taken a middling Mississippi State program and made them competitive in the SEC. Just last season, he guided the school to its first ever No. 1 ranking and first Orange Bowl trip in more than 70 years.

Indeed, there have been a lot of firsts during Mullen’s seven years leading the program. But maybe it’s time for a last. As in, his last season. As in, it might be time to move on.

Now hold on a minute, OK? You’re not about to read why Mullen should be fired, so don’t go crazy. To suggest that would be patently absurd. What he’s done for that program, fighting to raise the bar and pushing for improved facilities, should be applauded, if not worthy of a lifetime appointment. Athletic director Scott Stricklin should keep cutting Mullen checks for as long as he can.

But at what point does Mullen decide he’s had enough? You have to imagine that he’s tired of butting his head up against the wall known as the SEC West. Whether it’s the insane level of competition or the talent disparity that exists, there is a glass ceiling for him at Mississippi State. After spending five weeks at No. 1 and finishing 10-3 last season, his team was picked to finish last in the West. And really, what more do you need to know than that?

Watching Mississippi State lose to Alabama on Saturday -- and drop to next-to-last in the division -- was a reminder that all things are not equal. Mullen had the right game plan against the No. 2-ranked Tide: put everything into stopping the run on defense, spread the field and throw the ball deep on offense. He had a few players who could create mismatches: wideout De'Runnya Wilson, defensive lineman Chris Jones, quarterback Dak Prescott. But he didn’t have the full package. The offensive line let down Prescott, who couldn’t get the ball out to his receivers fast enough, and the defense gambled and eventually went bust against Alabama running back Derrick Henry.

Whether it’s Alabama, LSU, Florida or Georgia, those schools have more four- and five-star prospects riding the bench than Mississippi State has on its entire roster -- a fact Mullen will freely admit, calling State a "developmental program." When Mullen and his staff do turn their raw two- and three-star prospects into polished stars, it takes time, and even then they’re few and far between.

The resources and talent pool just aren’t there. Though things might come together for a 10-win season once every few years, competing for an SEC title consistently isn’t a reasonable expectation.

Mullen has built the program into a perennial bowl contender. He’s recruited, developed and coached the best player in school history (Prescott). And now that player is close to leaving and the time to rebuild is approaching.

As Mullen prepares for his eighth offseason in Starkville, there might be no better time to go than right now.

If there was ever a year to look around at other jobs, this is it. We’re on pace for the largest pool of job openings in recent memory. Miami, USC, Virginia Tech, Missouri, South Carolina, and Maryland are already open. That’s not to mention rumored potential openings at Georgia and West Virginia.

If Mullen doesn’t see himself finishing his career at Mississippi State and hopes for a so-called "elite" job one day, then he better start looking around. Even if an opportunity comes up that’s not his dream job, it might be the right job to lead to it. At least at a place like Maryland he wouldn’t have to deal with Alabama and LSU on his schedule every year.

Remember, Mississippi State is Mullen’s first heading coaching stop. And exactly how many successful head coaches can you recall that stayed one place for their entire career? The answer is somewhere between not many and zero.

The itch to tackle new challenges and start over never goes away for coaches at this level. Like many of his peers, Mullen enjoys the process of building from the ground up, and the idea of sustaining is unusual and challenging. Just ask Nick Saban, who never stayed anywhere for long until arriving at Alabama in his late 50s.

Mullen is only 43 years old. He isn’t a Southern boy. He’s from Pennsylvania, as is his wife. They met while he was an assistant at Bowling Green and went to Utah and Florida before ending up at Mississippi State. So the idea of picking up and leaving isn’t a foreign concept.

They’ve done a fantastic job of becoming a part of the community in Starkville. By all accounts, they love it there. The way Mullen has made Mississippi State football relevant is undeniable.

But after all he’s done, what more is there to accomplish? Mississippi State should do everything it can to keep him, but what more does it have to offer?

It’s going to be a hard choice if Mullen decides to move on, but if the timing isn't right now it might never be.
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I've been saying that about Mullen for a while now. They'll never be the big dogs in their division, let alone conference. I don't even think they're number 1 in their own state.

To a lesser extent, Patterson may feel the same way at TCU after this season.
 
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