We got coaches flying around the country left and right, folks. First, Chip Kelly goes to UCLA. Greg Then, Schiano is going to be the coach of the Tennessee Volunteers. But, then, he’s not. Now, Kevin Sumlin is rumored to go Arizona State. Jimbo Fisher’s name is popping up for an SEC job yet again (Texas A&M). Scott Frost appears set to take the Nebraska job. All of this madness, and it ain’t even December yet. But, I don’t think anyone has hit the home run yet quite like Florida has in hiring Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen:
The coaching carousel is spinning at a fast pace, and it has taken Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen back in Gainseville, Florida, as the new head coach of the Florida Gators, two sources confirm to CBS Sports.
Mullen, the Gators’ former two-time national championship-winning offensive coordinator, finishes 69-46 as coach of the Bulldogs, having led them to bowl games in each of the past seven seasons. They will earn another postseason trip following an 8-4 regular season in 2017. Mullen also led MSU to the No. 1 spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff Rankings in October 2014 and an Orange Bowl appearance later that season.
For all we joke about Mullen being the ‘Cousin Eddie’ of the SEC, the guy’s legit. It appears that he was ready for the next challenge in his life after taking the Bulldogs program about as far as he could. There was a lot floating around Twitter last night about Mullen being the guy at Tennessee before Florida called him late in the game. That has to be soul-crushing for Vols fans, but it’s not like anyone credible has come out and reported that officially, so let’s just treat that as the rumor it is. Regardless, it appears as though 2017 was going to be Mullen’s last year in Starkville.
Mullen’s 69 wins at Mississippi State rank him second all-time in program history, while his .605 career winning percentage is the program’s best since the 1950s. When the Bulldogs receive a bowl invitation next week, it will be their eighth under Mullen. Before his arrival, the program had been to only 13 bowls in its entire existence.
That blows my mind. The folks in Starkville have to be distraught. This guy is not only the second winningest coach in program history, but he legitimately had Mississippi State contending for a National Championship in 2014. I remember the Bulldogs being a joke of a program when I was growing up. Now, they’re a guaranteed bowl team, and one that can get into the better bowls.
It’s a testament to the work Mullen put in as a coach, a recruiter, and a developer of quarterbacks. Look at what Dak Prescott has become today. Nick Fitzgerald looked like he was going to become one of the SEC greats before his foot sploded. I always thought Mullen was rather underrated as a recruiter.
They had some good classes down there, and no offense to Starkville, but how do you convince a kid that’s capable of playing SEC ball to come to Starkville? Magic. It has to be magic. That’s the only plausible answer.
Florida just made one hell of a hire, and it comes at a great time. The SEC East belongs to Georgia, but outside of them, the division’s wide open. I don’t think this is a typical spot where a coach comes in and gets a few seasons to really build the program. Mullen is the type of guy who can turn this thing around pretty quickly. He has the ability and the opportunity is there.
His path has been a patient one, but it’s here that it’s all going to pay off. I can’t imagine what Mullen is going to do with Florida’s resources. The rest of the SEC should be on notice.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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