Dan Mullen To Mississippi State

by mlmintampa on Dec 10, 2008 2:09 PM EST in Florida Football

Mississippi State will hire Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen to be its next head football coach, ESPN.com has learned from sources close to the search.

An announcement is expected later today. Terms of the deal are not known.

Mullen will bring instant credibility to Mississippi State while Urban Meyer loses a loyal lieutenant who was with him in Utah as well. It was Mullen who shaped Alex Smith and Chris Leak into spread quarterbacks and made Tim Tebow a force of nature. Mullen leaving is not much of a surprise, but this could be a problem;

It is unclear whether Mullen will stay with Florida through the FedEx BCS National Championship Game against Oklahoma, a source said.

If Mullen leaves before the BCS Championship, it will add another layer of distractions UF does not need. But, the precedent is the other way. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was defensive coordinator at LSU and coached last year in the BCS title game.

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What are your thoughts about that?

When Mike Stoops left us back in 2003 for Arizona before the Sugar Bowl vs LSU our defense just wasn’t the same.

Any chance that if he does leave early that your offense might struggle a bit?

Boomer Sooner!

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by Jubanator14 on Dec 10, 2008 2:23 PM EST reply actions

Plus...

Keep in mind that Charlie Strong is a very, very strong candidate for a number of other head coaching positions. We may be without a offensive or defensive coordinator by the time January 8th rolls around.

by tbcook on Dec 10, 2008 2:53 PM EST reply actions

Meh.

It sucks if he bolts before the BCS Championship Game, but I can honestly say that I’ve never loved his gameplans or playcalling all that much. Ditto for Charlie Strong, actually. I’d rather have them instead of some rando, but there are surely guys out there that can at least maintain the level of our play. Would Urban call the plays if Dan isn’t there in Miami or is there someone else on the offensive staff that could take over on short notice?

Here we go again: http://thefulldeck.blogspot.com/

by ejruiz on Dec 10, 2008 2:58 PM EST reply actions

I don't like it

2 reasons – I think Mullen would have to hit the recruiting road hard right now to try to get some players that fit the spread.

Also, I think it hurts the possibility of Tebow returning for his senior year. Who wants to return to a new OC as a senior?

I agree with Ruiz on some of Mullen’s play calling though.
I disagree on the Strong comment – Charlie has built some great defenses and it is shocking he isn’t a head coach yet.

by skigator93 on Dec 10, 2008 3:28 PM EST reply actions

Billy Gonzales is the likely OC if Mullen is unavailable. Kerwin Bell is supposedly in line for QB coach. I’ve always thought Mullen tries to out think his opponents, but you can’t argue with two BCS appearances in 4 years. And Strong is a good defensive coach. Remember, we still have a young secondary, but the Gators’ defense is still playing very well.

mlmintampa
UF C/O 06

by mlmintampa on Dec 10, 2008 4:24 PM EST up reply actions

REMEMBER MARK RICHT?

This is not a good situation. UF will still win, but the offense might not be on the same page.

We scored 2 point against Oklahoma in 2000. It was awful.

I never sleep cuz sleep is the cousin of death.

by FSUSOM on Dec 10, 2008 4:25 PM EST reply actions

points

I never sleep cuz sleep is the cousin of death.

by FSUSOM on Dec 10, 2008 4:25 PM EST up reply actions

And if I remember correctly those points came off a bad snap on a punt

by tdchrisdavis on Dec 10, 2008 11:00 PM EST reply actions

Mullen is a strong recruitor, so I dont like the timing of this.

Its obvious he and Strong would eventually go elsewhere for head coaching jobs, but the timing sucks.

I heavily follow the recruiting process these days, and Florida is just starting to heat up. So far their class isn’t as good as the last two years, but again…they are just now starting to kick it up a notch. Mullen and Strong are pretty good at recruiting.

by Slica on Dec 11, 2008 3:07 AM EST reply actions

This is definitely not good if he isn't there....

This team has hit its stride both offensively and defensively. Losing a key coordinator could be what tips the balance in OU’s favor. I don’t think the gators will be able to overpower OU like OSU. OU legitimately has the best O-line in the country and athletes at all other positions.

I think the gators are going to have seize the momentum and overwhelm the sooners w/ smart play calling and solid execution together. Against OSU, it was simply a matter of executing simple plays. I think OU will be able to run w/ the gators otherwise.

by Zandor435 on Dec 11, 2008 10:04 AM EST reply actions