"I thought at some point in time they (outside forces) were going to break that staff up ... " Oregon offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. "You knew it was going to happen. It's the same thing that is happening Pete Carroll at USC. When you've got a quality program, people come after your coaches."
Kelly is a good friend of Mullen. Both have roots in New Hampshire. Sixteen years ago Kelly was the defensive coordinator at Johns Hopkins facing a gutty tight end from Ursinus College.
"They kept going to the tight end," said Kelly, now also the coach in waiting at Oregon. "We shifted our defense. I thought to myself, that is going to be the key to victory."
They were both from the "big city", as Kelly put it, of Manchester, N.H. The two kept in touch over the years. Kelly recommended Mullen for his second job, receivers coach at Columbia University in 1996-97. Last year Kelly, a spread option wizard himself, visited Florida to pick up some tips.
They are all part of the so-called "New Hampshire mafia" along with LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton. Kelly spent 13 years at New Hampshire, eight as head coach from 1999-2006. Crowton was an assistant at the school from 1988-1990.
Mullen's offenses have improved dramatically in his second year. In his second year as quarterbacks coach at Bowling Green in 2002, the offense improved from 55th in total offense to ninth. In his second year at Utah, the Utes went from 64th to third in that category. In 2006, the Gators improved from 61st to 19th on their way to a national championship.
This season's Gators are 18th nationally averaging 442.3 yards per game.
"I truly respect the job that Danny has done," Kelly said. "He will have the advantage of being in the SEC with all that talent. You've got to get out there and start recruiting. You've got to put a staff together.”
