Someone posed this coaching name on another board and just thought I would ask for opinions….

Dawgzilla2

All-Conference
Oct 9, 2022
1,427
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Set your emotions aside for a minute. Strictly from an objective standard, would Mullen be a good candidate? Get over the jilted lover mentality, and the “what would the neighbors think?” embarrassment. Could someone exactly like Mullen be the answer?

Personally, I never liked Mullen’s offense that much. I was relieved when he left. But I want whatever is best for the program. Mullen needs a job, and we need a coach who can step in and hold the locker room and recruiting class together. Being as objective as I can, he wouldn’t be my first choice, or even in my top 4, but he would be a safe choice.
 
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WilCoDawg

All-Conference
Sep 6, 2012
5,264
3,653
113
Set your emotions aside for a minute. Strictly from an objective standard, would Mullen be a good candidate? Get over the jilted lover mentality, and the “what would the neighbors think?” embarrassment. Could someone exactly like Mullen be the answer?

Personally, I never liked Mullen’s offense that much. I was relieved when he left. But I want whatever is best for the program. Mullen needs a job, and we need a coach who can step in and hold the locker room and recruiting class together. Being as objective as I can, he wouldn’t be my first choice, or even in my top 4, but he would be a safe choice.
I am so very over people talking about bringing him back. Do y’all not remember the end of every season having to sit on pins and needles wondering if he’ll stick around? He’ll be right back at that game whether due to wanting to be somewhere else or wanting a raise.
 

thekimmer

All-Conference
Aug 30, 2012
7,789
1,732
113
Set your emotions aside for a minute. Strictly from an objective standard, would Mullen be a good candidate? Get over the jilted lover mentality, and the “what would the neighbors think?” embarrassment. Could someone exactly like Mullen be the answer?

Personally, I never liked Mullen’s offense that much. I was relieved when he left. But I want whatever is best for the program. Mullen needs a job, and we need a coach who can step in and hold the locker room and recruiting class together. Being as objective as I can, he wouldn’t be my first choice, or even in my top 4, but he would be a safe choice.
Coaching retreads very rarely recapture the original magic. Think about Polk II. Do you want to risk a Mullins II?
 

GloryDawg

Heisman
Mar 3, 2005
17,437
11,193
113
I don't know if Mullen had a good relationship with the high school football coaches in Mississippi. The portal would have been god send if he had stayed at state.
 
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patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
53,393
20,765
113
Nope. You can't go back. Second time around is never as good as the first. And, as others have pointed out, for continuity we need to go with a coach who will run something similar to the Air Raid offense.
 
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Perd Hapley

All-American
Sep 30, 2022
4,709
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Not on board with this. It took Mullen having a Top 5 NFL QB to get past 8 regular season wins at MSU, and he still couldn’t do it in that QB’s 5th year senior season….when the recruiting / transfer environment (pre-NIL era) was as favorable as its ever going to be for MSU.

I’ll always be appreciative of what Dan did for our program, and honestly hold no emotional ill will about his departure at all. But we already know what he is at MSU even under the best of circumstances, which he won’t have at all over the short term or long term if he took the job. Ceiling for both individual signature wins and high water mark seasons just isn’t there.
 
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Maroon Eagle

All-American
May 24, 2006
17,527
7,140
102
@horshack.sixpack -- I don't know if that was a mistake in your reply but I laughed because it was Two Face-esque.

I Cant Poison Ivy GIF
 

UpTheMiddlex3Punt

All-Conference
May 28, 2007
17,474
2,939
113
Strangely, I would've been fine with a Mullen II a week ago if Leach had retired (and didn't subsequently die) or had left for another program, but now it seems like all kinds of wrong.

One special thing about Leach and Mississippi State is that it's the only job he took when he wasn't already an active head coach. He absolutely chose to be here and Dan Mullen is the antithesis of that spirit. Bringing him back wouldn't just be throwing a bucket of ice water on the spirit our program has right now, it would be dumping a full slushy Port-a-potty on it.
 

MSUDC11-2.0

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
7,843
11,856
113
I have three big problems with Mullen:

1. He despises recruiting and it’s now even more important than it was during his first run here thanks to the portal and NIL.

2. No assurances he won’t do the job hunting thing again.

3. He is still a very divisive figure among our fans and we need unity more than ever right now. Hiring him could really split the fanbase.
 

horshack.sixpack

All-American
Oct 30, 2012
10,601
7,119
113
Strangely, I would've been fine with a Mullen II a week ago if Leach had retired (and didn't subsequently die) or had left for another program, but now it seems like all kinds of wrong.

One special thing about Leach and Mississippi State is that it's the only job he took when he wasn't already an active head coach. He absolutely chose to be here and Dan Mullen is the antithesis of that spirit. Bringing him back wouldn't just be throwing a bucket of ice water on the spirit our program has right now, it would be dumping a full slushy Port-a-potty on it.
Unlike many, apparently, I was sick of Mullen when he left, felt like he surpassed his ceiling in 2014, and was past ready for him to just make his big move. Flaming out in FL kind of proved that he rode on the back of a QB with NFL talent and used that momentum to cash in.
 

The Peeper

All-American
Feb 26, 2008
14,216
8,625
113
His buyout was lump sum $6M when they fired him and $1M every July till 2027 so its not anything like Jimbo's. That said, HAIL NO I don't want him back, that ship and its crew sailed
 

Thumbs Down

Senior
Sep 29, 2022
105
433
63
Set your emotions aside for a minute. Strictly from an objective standard, would Mullen be a good candidate? Get over the jilted lover mentality, and the “what would the neighbors think?” embarrassment. Could someone exactly like Mullen be the answer?

Personally, I never liked Mullen’s offense that much. I was relieved when he left. But I want whatever is best for the program. Mullen needs a job, and we need a coach who can step in and hold the locker room and recruiting class together. Being as objective as I can, he wouldn’t be my first choice, or even in my top 4, but he would be a safe choice.
New York Yankees Reaction GIF by MLB
 

Crazy Cotton

All-Conference
Aug 26, 2012
3,353
1,108
113
Set your emotions aside for a minute. Strictly from an objective standard, would Mullen be a good candidate? Get over the jilted lover mentality, and the “what would the neighbors think?” embarrassment. Could someone exactly like Mullen be the answer?

Personally, I never liked Mullen’s offense that much. I was relieved when he left. But I want whatever is best for the program. Mullen needs a job, and we need a coach who can step in and hold the locker room and recruiting class together. Being as objective as I can, he wouldn’t be my first choice, or even in my top 4, but he would be a safe choice.
Reading the tributes to coach Leach from players and colleagues really highlighted to me what set him apart from our previous two coaches.

Mullin knows how to run a program and is a excellent offensive coach, but he's also an abrasive, self-interested 17 who doesn't foster high-level loyalty or motivation in his players or coaches. Mullin is the guy at the party who's talking to you, but also looking over your shoulder to see if there's somebody more important he should be talking to instead. Players got that, here and at Florida.

Moorehead was a very different kind of guy - players seemed to respond to him as a person and he gave the impression of genuinely caring about the players and his staff, but he had some real skill deficits when it came to running a big-time college football program.

Leach in his career managed to develop both of those particular strengths - the man knew how to set up and maintain a program; everywhere he went the team got better. By all accounts this week he was also the kind of guy that derived real satisfaction in helping the people around him develop and achieve. I really don't want to go back to the "is Mullen gonna leave this year" days.
 

cowbell88

Senior
Jan 11, 2009
3,087
770
113
Nope. You can't go back. Second time around is never as good as the first. And, as others have pointed out, for continuity we need to go with a coach who will run something similar to the Air Raid offense.
Yes, we are Air Raid offense for the foreseeable future.

Some y’all must not remember Polk 2.0 that wasn’t the best of times.
 

was21

Senior
May 29, 2007
9,809
488
83
Set your emotions aside for a minute. Strictly from an objective standard, would Mullen be a good candidate? Get over the jilted lover mentality, and the “what would the neighbors think?” embarrassment. Could someone exactly like Mullen be the answer?

Personally, I never liked Mullen’s offense that much. I was relieved when he left. But I want whatever is best for the program. Mullen needs a job, and we need a coach who can step in and hold the locker room and recruiting class together. Being as objective as I can, he wouldn’t be my first choice, or even in my top 4, but he would be a safe choice.
Clay Helton?
 

Maroon Eagle

All-American
May 24, 2006
17,527
7,140
102
it was an interrupted post of Absolutely NOT! followed by me coming back and not realizing that the browser had kept the original edits and appended my new and improved post below...so general stupidity, as expected...
And here I was hoping it was something creative. :ROFLMAO:
 

dog99walker

All-Conference
Jul 16, 2021
1,192
1,516
113
Would you lovers of Mullen please sit on your d*mn hands. He left us like you drop a hot rock. I want men who chose to come to Starkville and stayed. We don’t need to destabilize the whole program. Come on, man.
 

DerHntr

All-Conference
Sep 18, 2007
15,520
1,889
113
Absolutely not. He isn’t a fit with our offense. He isn’t a fit with our players. The best thing we have going right now is the defense and he runs off DCs very quickly. This is not to mention the fact that he was trying to move on for at least 3 years before landing the UF job.
 

Dawgzilla2

All-Conference
Oct 9, 2022
1,427
1,562
113
Plus, I’m willing to bet Arnett wouldn’t want to work under Mullen. I don’t think anyone wants to lose Arnett.
We may lose Arnett regardless.

ETA: Or....exactly the opposite.
 
Last edited:
Aug 26, 2012
1,659
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All the horse manure November job hunting aside, I would rather not go back down that road right now.

Dan is a good coach, he is not a great coach.
 

Dawgzilla2

All-Conference
Oct 9, 2022
1,427
1,562
113
Would you lovers of Mullen please sit on your d*mn hands. He left us like you drop a hot rock. I want men who chose to come to Starkville and stayed. We don’t need to destabilize the whole program. Come on, man.
I don't think there were any Mullen lovers in this thread. The guy who posed the question to me was a Florida fan.