Orange and Blue Hue » Mullen to Mississippi State? Really?

Mullen to Mississippi State? Really?

From Gainesville to Starkville for Mullen.

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1) We all knew he’d move along sooner than later. Competing for two national championships in 3 years was sure to shatter this coaching staff. It is the natural order of things.

2) I’m rather shocked that Mullen wouldn’t hold out for something better than Mississippi State. His career is at a logical crossroads: he’s probably ready for a head coaching job. He’s had great success in the SEC. But he now takes on a massive challenge at Mississippi State, the kind of challenge that young up and coming coaches don’t always survive. Three or four miserable years at Mississippi State could end his coaching career early. And Starkville is… well, rough.

3) The timing is rather bad; this will be a distraction as the Gators prepare for Oklahoma. It also portends poorly for Tebow’s return to Florida as he is closer with Mullen than anyone else on the coaching staff. I am personally of the opinion that Tebow needs to return regardless of how anticlimactic it would be if Florida won another national championship; he needs a year of solid NFL prep. As it stands, I’m not sure he’d be drafted in the top 2 rounds as a quarterback.

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I read it about an hour ago and felt the same - Miss St? Gulp. Croom was SEC coach of the year just one year from being removed/resigning whatever. Life is rough as a new head honcho and an environment like the SEC is down right brutal. Well I would like to be the first to wish Dan and his family a great debt of gratitude from UF and I hope the future is as successful as your tenure here. Don’t go slacking now so you better lay it to OU for your last hoorah.

I’d like to think that Tebow is having too much fun at UF and will stick around for his senior year. Sure hope that happens.

GO GATORS!!!

GP, I know it sucks to lose a gifted coordinator, but I think this is a much better opportunity for Mullen than you give it credit for.

Here’s three reasons why, in ascending order:

1. Say what you will about Croom, by all accounts one thing he did well was to clean up the program and instill some much needed discipline. Mullen could be walking into much worse circumstances elsewhere.

2. We tend to be a little myopic about this, but even if MSU is on the lower end of the resource scale in the SEC, that’s still a helluva lot better than probably two-thirds of the rest of D-1. I’ll bet you Mullen’s contract is much better than Meyer’s Bowling Green contract was. I also bet there’s a lot more money for assistants.

3. Most important, nobody is expecting Mullen to come in and perform the football equivalent of splitting the atom. All he’s gotta do is outperform Woody freakin’ McCorvey. Talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations.

Basically, as long as he doesn’t have a Petrino-esque buyout provision, I suspect he’ll do just fine.

Blutarsky, thanks as always for the comments. I’m not all that broken up about losing Mullen. I’d rather keep him, all things being equal, but it was patently obvious he was heading for his own HC gig sometime in the near future. Now’s as good a time as any.

I am a little disappointed he chose to go to an SEC school, but that’s life. But let’s get real now about his chances: he plays LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Arkansas yearly. Even Ole Miss has been upnutted, I mean, upgraded. Mississippi State is easily the most challenged program in the SEC. It will be very difficult for him to ever post a winning season there.

I heard a rumor that he’s not gonna coach in the BCS game. Is that true?

While losing Mullen is bad. I now start thinking about what assistants he will try and lure away. I am sure there are assistants that are closer to him than Meyer. Also, if Florida does not promote Billy Gonzales he may be the next one out the door. Gonzales has been at all of Meyer and Mullen’s gigs since 1995 (i believe). What do you all think about Charlie Strong?

This just goes to show how big of a dumbass he can be. Mullen has been here at the right time with the right athletes. Now he took a terrible job in a division that has two coaches with national championships and a conference that has so much competition. So in a few years, he will be back either working for Meyer or someone else.

I hope this opens up our offense. I do not think that the assistants would be so dumb as to go with him. Do you think Urban will allow that?

When he gets fired in three years, i’m sure Urban will give him back his old job. He will then be wise enough to find content in his job as the best OC in the business.

Tebow will be back next year because Mom, Dad, and Jesus Christ say so. Case closed.

Don’t worry about the NC game, didn’t seem to make a difference with LSU’s defense last year with Bo Pelini leaving. Mullen is a professional, if anything, it means he will work that much harder securing his legacy HERE.

Gonzales would be OC, but if Mullen follows the Bo Pelini course, he coaches the BCS game because his best recruiting tool at MSU would be to win. Pelini had a very good year at Nebraska in part because of the success at LSU. If Mullen leaves, it makes him look bad and his opponents will use that against him.

Petrino only has a year on him program-building wise, that’s really not long at all, LSU is currently down, Auburn…umm, enough said, Ole Miss benefitted from a very veteran defense but will have big depth issues next year so Alabama is really the only true juggernaut in the division. So if not this season then when, exactly, a good time to jump into a program in the SEC?

This is not a mistake if he accomplishes two things: one is getting a good quarterback for next year’s signing class (something Croom never really had), and the second is making this a 3-4 year plan. If he goes to two bowls in his first three years he’ll be on the big hitter’s short lists for coaching vacancies.

I wish him and his family the best of luck in Starkeville, I just hope he brings his “A” game for January 8th…

Given the control freak Myer is…

I am speechless to the fact that Urban would have guys under a contract not containing a clause guarding against them going to an in-conference school directly from their job with UF…

Much less just in time for a trip to Starkville in 2009..

Where the Gators have played poorly since divisional play began…

Would have liked Charlie Strong to get the job but the SEC has let Big Ten country coaches take bout every top position available so why not continue the tradition.
Agree with GatorPilot… Tebow probably headed to the NFL where he’ll be a great one. Meyer could be back one more year if Tebow returns. He’s clearly having fun being a pest to our major rivals calling unnecessary timeouts and all but suspect he’ll take one of the two coaching jobs back in Ohio soon enough.

Coaching Jobs in Ohio? Are you crazy?

Bring on Greg Brandon, his OC at Bowling Green or Kerwin Bell. Also, why would Urban go coach a losing team in Ohio? He hates to lose?

There are no programs in the country right now that are bigger or better than the University of Florida. Meyer can compete for a national title every single year right where hs is.

Is there a compelling reason to throw it in reverse and try to build another fallen program back up?

I don’t buy the ego argument - there is plenty to stroke the ego in having the oppotunity to win, I don’t know, 4-5-8 national championships at the University of Florida and retire as one of the greatest coaches in the history of football.

Leave all that for Ohio? I hope that Urban is smarter than that!

Mullen’s leaving makes me nervous, even if he is physically present at the game. He only has a couple months to try and give his new team a successful recruiting class, assign assistant staff etc. He can not possibly give the Gators 100% this month with these new responsibilities. Next year is going to be interesting regardless of which players return. The schedule looks promising with LSU,ARK,MISS ST from the west and Charleston Southern,Troy and FIU out of conference.

aligator
crazy?! like a fox dude, Meyer has always carried his we-are-family concept to the extremes with the hugs and all, he even bunked pre-season at the Falcons dorm. It just would be interesting to know what NFL teams he’s talking to besides those in Ohio durring this month as his contract allows for. Note how the recruiting has tappered off, maybe not this year (especially if Tebow returns) but soon. ya know ya get to that age, with player scandals and all ya just get tired of kids. Meyer is challenge driven, we’re lucky he stopped our way.

Mullen leaving won’t affect the way the players prepare and perform during the the game. It’s the National Championship. They’ll be plenty amped.

****ALERT****

Coach Mullen says he is “not sure” if he will coach the Gators in the NC!

WTF WTF WTF!!!!!!

This is a telling sign that this program is gonna split up soon. Meyer has been with Mullen since Notre Dame, I believe, and to lose your right hand man says something about you and your intentions. It says he deosn’t give a shit since he’s bout to leave too. I never thought Urban was a commited guy. Yes, he’s a brilliant football coach, one of the best ever, but not someone who will stick around for too long. If we win, I will be glad we kept him for as long as we did, but we all know his thoughts on Notre Dame (”Notre Dame was my first love”, “I wanted Notre Dame, the fam wanted FLA”, “Notre Dame is my dream job”, etc. etc.) and his ties with the Patriots. This guy isn’t even trying to hide his intentions to leave so don’t believe any of the b.s. he spouts to the media. I don’t think he loves being a gator, loves gator nation…he just loves winning and picking up an ever increasing paycheck, which other schools will gladly offer him. We should all be grateful Meyer sticked with us and won us (hopefully) 2 championships in 4 years. That’s incredible, but he’s gone in less than 2 years.

This is the type of crap that adds up to unexpected NC game humiliations.

I think you’re wrong.

Meyer stays. There are very few schools that have the same resources and ablities to draw the type of athletes that Florida does. And Notre Dame is NOT one of them. They haven’t been significant in nearly 2 decades.

Meyer already turned down Notre Dame to come to Florida. He is a Gator and he is winning championships and getting a big paycheck. Meyer has left previous jobs for better jobs - and there isn’t a better job out there anymore.

Assistant coaches leaving is a sign that you run a successful program, not that you are getting ready to leave yourself. Where’s your precedent for that statement?

Finally, I think we can all agree that the NFL is done with successful college coaches for teh time being. The trend has shifted to hiring NFL assistants, and with much more success than hiring college guys.

Tebow is becoming my favorite college football player of all time. It is between him and Hershel Walker.

OK, calm down. An assistant leaving is the sign of GREAT programs. Yes, Mullen is Tebow’s boy, but he wasn’t going to stay an assistant forever. Good Luck, Dan.

Secondly, until he proves otherwise, I’m holding Tebow at his word. God, Family, School, Football…in that order. Unless he feels that he can get his word out better from the pro stage than he can at the collegiate level, he stays.

Either way, we’re playing for the MNC and reading the comments it sounds like we’re south carolina.

Let’s go GATORS!!!

Meyer wants to be the best ever and he and Pete Carroll are on top. He will stay until his kids finish school and his family is here for a while.

Mullen is an idiot and Meyer will enjoy the challenge of new coaches and beating everyone’s brains in. Mullen is getting a big check and will lose like crazy and eat some humble pie.

One day Meyer will move on, but it will not be for a few more years. What if he went on to win two or three more here.

The Gators will kick OKs teeth in as we have a defense!

Why would Meyer want to ever to leave Florida?

I never saw anything bad w/ Mullen leaving. It sucks believe me considering that the NC is in a few weeks. If Mullen stayed he would continue to live in Meyer’s shadow and the same can be said about Charlie Strong. I feel that great assistants leave great programs and succeed (hopefully) it’s a fact of life. Mullen’s not an idiot, though he should coach through the NC game and then move on but will see. Seriously, would you want him to be an assistant forever? Being realistic and all doesn’t everyone want to be their own boss? Good luck Dan and hope you’re in Miami in a few weeks.

Tebow wins the Heisman tomorrow!!!!!! Called it here first!!!!!!

GO GATORS!!!!!

There’s an old expression in the South that says “if Mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy.” Pursuant to this line of thinking I just got through listening to Shelly Urban as a guest on the WRUF Sports Scene Gator show out of the campus, and she was not subtle at all in her profession for her love of Gainesville and all things Gator. One caller even thanked her for keeping Urban out of South Bend to which she was politely neutral about with her answer, but one got the impression that she agreed with the caller.

Bottom line: Assistant coaches come and go with successful programs, that’s just the way college football is, and I wish nothing but success (except against UF) in the SEC for Coach Mullen, and we could very well lose Charlie Strong too at some point, but I’m pretty assured that as long as Shelly Urban is happy in Hogtown, we will have an elite HC for quite a long time….

Happy Friday…Go Gators…good luck Timmy!

I disagree. If you think Urban can’t turn Notre Dame into a contender in 2 years you’re kidding yourself. In his own autobiography he said Notre Dame had a tremendous impact on him and he really, really, really loved the atmosphere there. On top of that, the constant apprearance of Bill Belichick and Pats owner, Kraft, at gator games is more than a little unsettling. I believe he is possibly the greatest coach ever in college football in terms of just winning, and he can prove that if he stays at FLA. I just feel he is not so different from Saban, Spurrier, etc. in wanting to test out the NFL. God I hope I’m wrong though.

Shame on you, John, for not including George Blanda or Tim Couch on your list!

People, some people are meant to be coordinators and some people head coaches, Strong and Mullen need to be coordinators, they are great at that and will be very successful at the best school in the country, go out on a limb and watch out.

Mullen could have just waited a couple more years the way all of you people talk and if he played his cards right, could of stayed here, that is the status quo for what Urban has done with his past two …

Thinking long and hard about Urban and ND . . .

I really think that it’s not that one coach is necessarily BETTER than another, just a better match for certain cultures and recruiting bases. Urban Meyer is a GREAT match for UF. It’s the “get up and go” culture. Or, to quote Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses”, “get yer eye on it Amos, make it count, son”. See? It’s the high-octane “six seconds of max effort” philosophy Urban uses that goes so well with the southern swamp culture. Urban’s game is speedy players in space. Notre Dame’s recruiting base just doesn’t offer that– they are a smash mouth team, always have been always will be.

That’s why Rich Rod won’t have any success at Michigan. The guy would be great at UF, LSU, Georgia, a few Big Twelve schools, and right where he was at WVU.

Urban would have the same problems if he went to Notre Dame. Nick Saban would be a better fit for the Notre Dame/Michigan/Ohio State culture and recruiting base than Meyer. Ron Zook making Illinois compete for even a single season is proof of what I am saying. Smash mouth coaches go north to be successful, finesse coaches go south, the west has no identity at all.

If Urban is smart, he’ll make like Billy Donovan and realize a good thing when he has it, put his ego in his back pocket, and give just a little bit of credit to luck and location.

Enough with the NFL stuff.

NFL TEAMS NO LONGER DESIRE COLLEGE COACHES, SO IT DOESN’T MATTER IF URBAN WANTED TO COACH IN THE NFL. NOBODY IS HIRING HIM.

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