Dan Mullen

Ibdancin

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Feb 9, 2018
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Robbie and hadad on the rumblings both said Dan Mullen would be their first call once arnett gets fired. I know some will disagree, but man I got so excited just thinking about the possibility of him coming back. Sometimes you gotta go back to actually move forward!
Oh hell no!
 

Pilgrimdawg

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Aug 30, 2018
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It would be absolutely stupid to hire Mullen without a MASSIVE pay back clause in his contract if he leaves us on his own accord. Fool me once………
 

Dawgbite

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Nov 1, 2011
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It would be absolutely stupid to hire Mullen without a MASSIVE pay back clause in his contract if he leaves us on his own accord. Fool me once………
He was here what, nine years? That’s forever in college coach time. I don’t fault him for leaving when he did. I fault him for quitting coaching about the second week of November every year so he could job shop.
 

thekimmer

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Aug 30, 2012
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I think part of the reason mullins wanted to get out of Starkville was because he knew that he was tempting fate the longer he stayed around as every HC since 1955 had ultimately been fired. I also don't think that Polk II is necessary a valid comparison as we should have known full well that the times had passed ol' Ron by particularly with roster management. Certainly we would be taking some risks but I'd be willing to give him another shot.
 

Indndawg

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Nov 16, 2005
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Robbie and hadad on the rumblings both said Dan Mullen would be their first call once arnett gets fired. I know some will disagree, but man I got so excited just thinking about the possibility of him coming back. Sometimes you gotta go back to actually move forward!
Unless he shuts his woman up and has that 2010 fire in his belly. I don't want him.
 

GloryDawg

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Mar 3, 2005
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IBleedMaroonDawg

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Nov 12, 2007
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Robbie and hadad on the rumblings both said Dan Mullen would be their first call once arnett gets fired. I know some will disagree, but man I got so excited just thinking about the possibility of him coming back. Sometimes you
Season 1 Episode 24 GIF by Martin
gotta go back to actually move forward!

I hope that we are not desperate enough to improve that we put this set of retreads. He did a great job with the progam but we would have to be happy with his past mistakes and his recruiting, or should we just say non-recruiting. You add that together with the fact that he will spend every November job hunting and refusing to adjust the staff that he initially puts in place... Then Mullenz will be a good choice.

I don't know enough about the candidates to say who we should pick. I only would say that we should pick a candidate who does not have a system. We're dealing with the issues you have when the previous system is skewed very differently than most other systems, AND, we initially tried to do a 180 change in the system.

I hope we can find someone who is a builder first and leaves the Offense and Defense to solid coaches. His entire staff should be strong and he should be the CEO. There should be no doubt about who is the Head Coach.
 

msstatelp1

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Aug 21, 2012
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Robbie and hadad on the rumblings both said Dan Mullen would be their first call once arnett gets fired. I know some will disagree, but man I got so excited just thinking about the possibility of him coming back. Sometimes you gotta go back to actually move forward!
He ain't lowering himself to come back here.
 

NawlBennyDawg

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Jan 23, 2023
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I wonder just how much we could even afford to pay him to come back. Can't find how much Dan makes with ESPN as an analyst, but it can't be near as much as someone like Kirk Herbstreit makes ($6 million per year). However, I'm sure he's also reaping the benefits of that $12 million buyout from Florida, where he was making $7.6 million per year. Before he left, he signed that $4.5 million extension with us. I'm sure we would have to cough up at least $6+ million per year for him to coach here again, and that's being generous.
 

johnson86-1

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Aug 22, 2012
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Some of y'all have too romantic of an ideal of what a head coach is in the modern era. Coaching is transactional. You pay for a service - not a committed wife or a girlfriend to be nice to you. It's insane some of you are thinking that way. Hell, the roster is now transactional. Our own alumni are bailing on us from the AD seat for better pay. Remove your feelings. If he were interested in coming back, we should have that conversation.

I think your overall attitude is correct. But I don't know if Dan can coach in the NIL era. I think too many of his players will bolt. To coach the way he did, you have to be able to reload and our NIL budget isn't going to allow that.
 

GloryDawg

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Mar 3, 2005
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The lead writer of the Sopranos was interviewed, and he said the script had Tony going to a meeting in NY and getting killed, then not showing up for the family dinner. Another script had the guy in the Members Only jacket killing him in the Restaurant. They decided not having him killed.
 

Trojanbulldog19

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Aug 25, 2014
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so dan is itching to return to starkville, the very place he finally escaped after years of effort?
dan will return to starkville as head coach the same day vaught returns to OM.
Sometimes climbers go back to where they have started in a company or company when they realized what they left and that it was a pretty good thing I've seen it before. Problem with that is they have settled down and not as ambitious as before which is what made them good.
 

Trojanbulldog19

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Aug 25, 2014
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I look back at jobs that I left because I was fed up with them at the time. There have been a few in my 40+ year working career and NO WAY would I EVER go back to one I left because I didn't like it. I don't get that logic from any of you. I've left jobs I really liked but had a better opportunity and for those, I would consider going back if the latest one didn't work out. But, again no way for one I left because I wasn't happy.
I don't think he left because he was unhappy. Danny was/is a climber. He was looking for the best shot at sec championship and natty. In 9 years he never got close at msu even in his best year he ran into buzz saw Alabama and their talent and refs. Then a very good ole miss team. Granted he didnt beat bama at uf but he played them a very close game in Atlanta. He failed at the big gig. I don't think he left msu because he was unhappy he just wanted more like our ads that left.
 
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IBleedMaroonDawg

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Nov 12, 2007
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Why are we all worrying? Mississippi State ain't good enough for Mullen anyway. To me, He already proved that factor he wouldn't have been trying so hard to get out of here, seriously, he would have to be crazy to take a different job than he has right now. He's has the Florida money and he is making bank (knowing his agent) working for ESPN.
 
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retire the banner

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Dec 29, 2022
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Mullen coming back would be a bit pathetic for both sides.

He was also called out publicly last week by Kirby Smart for not liking recruiting. I don’t want to go through that **** again. I can’t see his recruiting tactics getting better with age and him enjoying the NIL era.
 
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OG Goat Holder

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Sep 30, 2022
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I think your overall attitude is correct. But I don't know if Dan can coach in the NIL era. I think too many of his players will bolt. To coach the way he did, you have to be able to reload and our NIL budget isn't going to allow that.
Think you'd be surprised at our NIL budget, and who actually has come back due to it.

On the same note, the one thing Danny could do was identify players. I think he'd be great in the portal and in JUCO, just like he was way back when. We had less than average busts.

Danny's the perfect coach for us, assuming he still has the fire. If he was fired up, I think he could really motivate our boosters to do whatever was necessary to get him the players. But that's a big variable.
 
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Thebulldogcountry1

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Nov 6, 2022
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The are two possible versions of Mullen a team could get at this point.

1. A guy who has has come to the realization that he just doesn't have the drive to do what it takes to compete with the big boys as a HC. It's much easier to be on TV and radio and not have to deal with all the pressure and criticism.

2. A guy who still has the drive to be a HC and has gained wisdom about how to surround himself with good coaches AND recruiters.

I just don't see how it's the latter, and if we have to reach out to him, it definitely isn't.
 

kired

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Aug 22, 2008
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I think your overall attitude is correct. But I don't know if Dan can coach in the NIL era. I think too many of his players will bolt. To coach the way he did, you have to be able to reload and our NIL budget isn't going to allow that.
Do we know where our NIL budget ranks? Probably should be a whole different thread... but I wonder how we could expect any coach to have our recruiting ranking much higher than our NIL rank. I would assume we are outside the top 25. If we've got, say the 35th highest NIL, how can we expect a coach to sign a top 20 class? Even OM is finding it hard to crack the top 20 and they've always cared as much about recruiting rankings than actual results. Recruits are going to follow the money.

Look at Florida. Two 6-7 seasons and staring down another 6 or 7 win season. But they have a top 5 class. Coaches and on the field success are meaningless when you have a top 10 budget.

On the flip side of that though --- I would think it makes recruiting a little easier on coaches. You're going to get who you can pay for. It's not
solely based on building relationships with a 16 year old kid.
 

JackShephard

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Sep 27, 2011
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Why try to beg and get back with same girl that was always looking around to cheat on you every thanksgiving holidays, and the same one who left you when her old boyfriend called. Usually never works out. Once a cheater always a cheater. Go find a new girl.
Shouldn't you be rehabbing or something?
 

johnson86-1

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Aug 22, 2012
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Do we know where our NIL budget ranks? Probably should be a whole different thread... but I wonder how we could expect any coach to have our recruiting ranking much higher than our NIL rank. I would assume we are outside the top 25. If we've got, say the 35th highest NIL, how can we expect a coach to sign a top 20 class? Even OM is finding it hard to crack the top 20 and they've always cared as much about recruiting rankings than actual results. Recruits are going to follow the money.

Look at Florida. Two 6-7 seasons and staring down another 6 or 7 win season. But they have a top 5 class. Coaches and on the field success are meaningless when you have a top 10 budget.

On the flip side of that though --- I would think it makes recruiting a little easier on coaches. You're going to get who you can pay for. It's not
solely based on building relationships with a 16 year old kid.
I'm not so worried about our recruiting being better than our NIL rank. I'm worried about it being even worse. Mullen was hard on players. It made them better, but I'm not sure how many of them would have taken the opportunity to get away from him if they had had the opportunity to transfer without penalty. Obviously Josh Robinson would have been gone as soon as he could get some interest. Would Aeres have sat the bench while being the most talented player? Or would he have transferred out knowing another coach would play him immediately, even if he needed to work on the playbook and/or pass blocking (I'm skeptical that that was really what kept him on the bench)?

My devils advocate argument would be that Mullen's ability to identify and develop talent would offset this, and that while there would be players he'd lose because they didn't want to be pushed that hard, that loss of talent would partly be offset by everybody being bought in and possibly, even bringing in some talented players that wanted that challenge. I just don't think that's what would happen even if Mullen had hsi fire back, and I really don't think players would respond to his style when they see him check out from time to time.
 

blacklistedbully

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Apr 9, 2010
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Robbie and hadad on the rumblings both said Dan Mullen would be their first call once arnett gets fired. I know some will disagree, but man I got so excited just thinking about the possibility of him coming back. Sometimes you gotta go back to actually move forward!
HELL no! It's one thing to pursue other opportunities, but another to check out before a season is over because you are more concerned about finding a better opportunity than you are about doing your damn job. Character flaw I have no interest in revisiting or rewarding.

Beyond that, he makes some of the dumbest game-day decisions I've seen since Les Miles.
 

HumpDawgy

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Apr 6, 2010
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Retreads haven't worked well for us. Also, the last thing we need is to go beg for Dan to come back and he tell us no. His ego is already big enough. He told Cohen that he had accomplished all he could do here, so I will take him at his word on that.

I know we are hurting as a program and there aren't many good options out there, but this is not the way to go.
 

Dawg1976

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Aug 22, 2012
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Mullen coming back would be a bit pathetic for both sides.

He was also called out publicly last week by Kirby Smart for not liking recruiting. I don’t want to go through that **** again. I can’t see his recruiting tactics getting better with age and him enjoying the NIL era.
I've read this but why was Kirby even talking about Mullen?
 
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