Football
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 325-2539
Season at MSU: 9th
Twitter: @CoachDanMullen
Records Broken in the Mullen Era
2014 Maxwell Football Club National Coach of the Year
2014 Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year
Consistency and longevity are two of the ultimate measures of a successful head coach. Few have personified that more than Dan Mullen, and he’s achieved that in college football’s toughest division. The 2014 National and Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year, Mullen has shaped Mississippi State football into a national contender. The 45-year-old begins his ninth season in Starkville after guiding the Bulldogs into unprecedented territory. That includes the fastest ascent from unranked to No. 1 in college football history and a school-record seven straight bowl games.
On Dec. 10, 2008, Mullen officially became the 32nd head coach in MSU history, taking over a program that posted a 32-65 record in the eight years prior to his arrival. Since his first season of 2009, he has completely changed the culture in Starkville, developing a winning attitude both on and off the field, connecting with a fan base that has come out in record numbers and cementing a recruiting prowess in the state of Mississippi.
Unprecedented Success
Mullen (61-42, .592) enters the 2017 season just four victories shy of tying College Football Hall of Famer Allyn McKeen (65-19-3) for second in Bulldog all-time wins. In 2017, Mullen ties McKeen as the second-longest tenured coach in school history. Mullen’s winning percentage ranks second in MSU annals among those who have coached six or more years. Only McKeen’s .764 from 1939-48 is better.
Mullen has cemented the Bulldogs as one of the best in the SEC West as MSU ranks second in victories since 2014 (25) in college football’s toughest division, which has produced a national title game finalist in 10 out of the last 11 years. He enters the 2017 campaign as the SEC’s second-longest tenured current head coach behind only Alabama’s Nick Saban (11th year).
Mullen has produced three seasons of at least nine victories in the last seven years, including the school’s first back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2014 and 2015. To put in perspective, there were only four nine-win seasons at State in the 109 years prior to Mullen’s arrival.
Bowl games have become the norm at State under Mullen’s guidance. Prior to his arrival, the school record for consecutive bowl game appearances was three from 1998-2000. MSU is currently on a stretch of a school-record seven straight bowl appearances with its most recent triumph coming against Miami (Ohio) in the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl. No other coach has been to more bowl games (seven) or won more bowl games (five) at MSU than Mullen. The Bulldogs are one of five SEC teams to earn a bowl berth every season this decade, and MSU is second in the league in bowl game wins (five) since 2010.
Only five teams have held the No. 1 ranking since the start of the 2014 season – Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State and Mississippi State.
No coach in school history had ever been a finalist for a national coach of the year honor until Mullen won the Maxwell Football Club’s National Coach of the Year award in 2014. He also claimed the Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year award that same fall. On top of that, Mullen has shined in the Egg Bowl, owning a 5-3 record against Ole Miss. His five wins against the in-state rival ranks second in school history, while his .625 winning percentage against the Rebels is the best by an MSU coach since Sid Robinson’s 4-0 mark from 1917-19 (minimum three years).
Furthermore, MSU’s historic play has united a town and brought college football’s epicenter to Starkville the past three years. Following a renovation and expansion completed in August 2014, Davis Wade Stadium has become one of college football’s most difficult venues for an opposing team. Mullen has made winning at home a priority. The top 20 attended games in Davis Wade Stadium history have all occurred in the Mullen era. In 2015, the Bulldogs shattered the single-season total and average attendance records for the third straight year. The program also eclipsed over 50,000 in season ticket sales for the first time. Over 3 million fans have entered Davis Wade Stadium since Mullen took over prior to the 2009 season.
The MSU Years
MSU entered the 2016 season as one of the nation’s youngest teams but the Bulldogs still managed to reach a seventh straight bowl game. On Nov. 5, MSU topped No. 4 Texas A&M in Davis Wade Stadium and was recognized as the Football Writers Association’s “National Team of the Week” for the second time in Mullen’s tenure.
Three weeks later, Mullen’s squad secured a bowl berth with the most dominating Egg Bowl victory since 1916. The Bulldogs set four single-game school records in the 55-20 thrashing in Oxford. The 55 points were the most by any team in the Egg Bowl since 1915. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald set an MSU single-game record in rushing yards (258), and he broke the SEC record for average yards per carry in a league game (18.4).
Mullen’s 2016 senior class finished with 32 victories - tied for fourth in school history and just two shy of the school record. Of the top eight winningest senior classes in MSU history, four have occurred under Mullen’s watch. The Bulldogs beat Miami (Ohio), 17-16, in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26.
Fitzgerald, following in the footsteps of arguably the greatest player in school history, set nine school records in his first year as the starting quarterback. A once three-star recruit offered by only one Power 5 school (MSU), Fitzgerald shattered single-season league records for 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (8) and average yards per rush by a quarterback (7.1). His top target, Fred Ross, became the first wide receiver in school history to earn first-team All-SEC honors in back-to-back seasons. Ross signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers in the spring of 2017.
In 2015, the Bulldogs celebrated another nine-win season highlighted by four road victories, a first since 1994. MSU put up a Belk Bowl record 569 yards of total offense to cap the year with a 51-28 win over NC State. Mullen’s offense was spectacular. The catalysts for success were senior Dak Prescott and Ross. For the first time since 1978, MSU produced a first-team All-SEC quarterback and wide receiver in the same season. Ross became the first Bulldog to lead the SEC in receptions per game since 1978, shattering the single-season record for catches with 88.
Prescott put the finishing touches on the greatest career in program history. A once three-star recruit, Mullen developed Prescott into a polished passer as a senior. He shattered 38 school records and became one of only four players in FBS history to throw for over 9,000 yards and rush for over 2,500 yards in a career. Only two players in SEC history have ever achieved the feat with another Mullen protégé being the other in Tim Tebow.
The 2014 season was arguably the best in school history as Mullen’s group won 10 regular season games for the first time and 10 overall for just the third time. The Bulldogs claimed six SEC wins -- the most by MSU since 1999 -- while finishing second in the difficult SEC West.
Mullen developed a team that went from unranked to No. 1 quicker than any in college football history (five weeks; Ohio State made the move in six weeks in 1964). The Bulldogs entered Sept. 20 at No. 8 LSU just outside the polls. Following a dazzling display by Prescott, MSU recorded its first victory in Tiger Stadium since 1991.
The Bulldogs were the nation’s No. 1 team for the first time in 80 years of Associated Press polls following wins over No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 2 Auburn during a raucous stretch in Davis Wade Stadium. MSU became the first team since 1983 Auburn to defeat three consecutive top-10 ranked teams. The Bulldogs also became the first squad to hold the No. 1 ranking in the inaugural College Football Playoff poll.
The year was capped with a berth in the Orange Bowl for the first time since 1941. Mullen’s squad rewrote the MSU record books in 2014, shattering 22 single-season records, including 10 by National Player of the Year finalist Prescott. The Bulldogs led the SEC in total offense for the first time since 1982, putting up a school-record 513.8 yards per game. State earned its highest Associated Press poll finish since 1940 (No. 11), and it tied its highest finish ever in the USA Today Amway Coaches poll (No. 12). Prescott finished higher in the Heisman Trophy vote than any MSU player by taking eighth in December 2014.
In 2013, MSU showed constant improvement and went on an inspiring three-game winning streak to close the season despite a rash of injuries. After a hard-fought game against No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 16, the Bulldogs bounced back a week later with their first victory ever at Arkansas. Then on a cold Thanksgiving night, Mullen continued his Egg Bowl success as MSU, on a gutsy final drive engineered by an injured Prescott, claimed its fourth Egg Bowl win in five seasons with a 17-10 overtime triumph.
The Bulldogs closed the year racking up 533 yards to defeat Rice 44-7 in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. The 37-point margin of victory was the largest of the 2013 college bowl season as MSU finished the year with a 7-6 record.
Mullen ignited the Bulldogs to a nine-win season in just his second year, 2010, and then another successful season in 2011. The 2010 Bulldogs closed out the season with nine victories including posting the largest margin of victory in a bowl game in school history. The resounding 52-14 Gator Bowl win against Michigan capped a truly remarkable year.
With the nation’s toughest schedule in 2009, State’s rushing attack, led by first-team All-SEC selection and former NFL running back Anthony Dixon, finished ninth nationally with a 227.6 rushing yard average per game. State averaged 371.9 yards of total offense per game, the most since 2000 at the time.
Mullen’s first season concluded with a rousing 41-27 victory over MSU’s in-state rival, which brought the Golden Egg back to Starkville. He became the only the third Mississippi State coach to win his Egg Bowl debut since 1939, joining McKeen and Jackie Sherrill.
Player Development and “The Quarterback Whisperer”
Player development has been key in Mullen’s eight previous seasons. Twenty-two Bulldogs have been chosen in the NFL Draft under Mullen’s watch since 2010. What has proven to be even more impressive is how successful those players are when they reach the next level.
Prescott became the highest drafted MSU quarterback in modern NFL Draft history, going in the 2016 fourth round to the Dallas Cowboys. He joined a long line of Mullen developed signal callers to be selected in the NFL Draft: Josh Harris (Bowling Green), Omar Jacobs (Bowling Green), Alex Smith (Utah) and Tim Tebow (Florida).
Prescott captivated the nation in 2016, illustrating poise and skills of an eight-year NFL veteran as a rookie starting quarterback. The Mullen protégé set NFL rookie quarterback records for wins (13), passer rating (104.9), touchdown-to-interception ratio (23/4) and completion percentage (67.8). He was named NFL Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie quarterback in Cowboys history to be selected to the NFL Pro Bowl.
Said Prescott of his instant NFL success, “I give credit every chance I get to my college coach Dan Mullen for getting me prepared for the NFL mentally and teaching me the game of football. Not just teaching me spread offense, but teaching me defenses, teaching me all sorts of offenses so when I had the chance to put it on display here in the NFL that I knew a bunch of things. And I think that's something people may have missed in the draft, my knowledge of the game.”
The 2016 NFL season saw a school-record three Bulldogs – Prescott, Fletcher Cox and K.J. Wright – reach the NFL Pro Bowl in Orlando. All three developed under Mullen at State. Prescott was the fifth SEC player to win NFL Rookie of the Year since its inception in 2002. Of the five winners, three have been coached by Mullen. Mullen mentored 2009 winner Percy Harvin at Florida as well as 2011 recipient Cam Newton for two seasons in Gainesville.
Pro Football Focus rated the top 10 NFL rookies for 2016 and two former Mullen players made the cut in Prescott and Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones. MSU and Ohio State were the only two programs to produce multiple rookies in the top 10.
In the last seven NFL Drafts, the Bulldogs have produced seven first- or second-round picks. In the eight drafts prior to Mullen’s arrival, MSU did not have any.
The Bulldogs continue to rewrite the record books under Mullen. MSU has shattered 109 individual and team single-game, single-season and career statistical records under him. Meanwhile, the top seven total offensive seasons in school history have all occurred in the Mullen era.
The Florida Years
As the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Florida for four seasons prior to MSU, Mullen molded a Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Award-winning quarterback, along with a Rimington Trophy finalist and a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
In 2008 alone, Mullen’s offensive attack ranked third nationally in scoring – averaging better than 45 points per game as the Gators scored at least 30 points in 12-of-13 games. The 587 points scored eclipsed the previous Florida mark, set in 1996.
Florida rushed for a school-record 41 touchdowns that season and UF’s 80 rushing touchdowns over the two seasons ranked second nationally. Overall, Florida’s rushing yardage of 2,987 ranked ninth nationally in 2008 and was the third-highest total in school history.
Seven offensive players were recognized as All-SEC selections following the season in which Mullen helped UF claim its second SEC Championship and a chance to play for its second national championship in three seasons.
The Gator offense ranked first in the SEC in scoring offense and total offense for a second-straight season in 2008, averaging 45.2 points and 442.4 yards per game. Under Mullen’s tutelage in 2007, UF averaged 42.5 points and 457.2 yards.
In 2007, Mullen directed the Gator offense to the third-highest point total ever by a UF unit and the top single-season marks for rushing touchdowns and third-down conversion percentage. Florida’s offense scored 75 touchdowns, second most in the SEC.
Mullen orchestrated a UF attack that was the only one in the nation to have rushed for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown in every game during the season. He also helped UF score on 83-of-152 drives in 2007 for a league-best 54.6 percent, marking the best number since the stat was tracked by the SEC in 2000. Florida additionally averaged 7.0 yards per play that year, the fourth-best total in the nation. Lastly, the Gators averaged 5.3 yards per rush, the second-best number in school history.
In 2007, Mullen helped coach sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow into a Heisman Trophy, Maxwell and Davey O’Brien award winner, 78th Sullivan Award winner and AP First-Team All-American among other honors.
He also tutored six offensive players to the All-SEC team: Tebow, NFL Pro Bowler Percy Harvin, Cornelius Ingram, Brandon James, Jim Tartt and Drew Miller.
Mullen played an integral role in Florida’s 2006 national championship, overseeing an offense that averaged 29.7 points and 396.1 yards per game. In the BCS National Championship Game, he engineered an attack that produced 41 points against a top-ranked Ohio State squad that was limiting opponents to less than 11 points per game on the year. Under Mullen’s tutelage, quarterback Chris Leak opened the contest by going 9-for-9 for 99 yards and a touchdown en route to earning Offensive MVP honors.
The 2006 Gator offense posted 76 plays of 20 yards or more, 19 of which went for touchdowns. Florida passed for 29 touchdowns in 2006, while Leak ranked among the national leaders with 23 scoring tosses. Tebow matched UF’s then single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with eight scores, and his 5.3 yards per carry average placed second nationally among signal callers. Six different players averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry.
In 2005, Chad Jackson played his way to Biletnikoff Award semifinalist status after matching the UF single-season record with 88 receptions, a figure that led the SEC and finished sixth nationally. Center Mike Degory was also named a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, given annually to the nation’s top center, during that campaign. Both earned first-team All-SEC honors under Mullen’s tutelage.
The Utah and Bowling Green Years
Mullen went to Florida from Utah with head coach Urban Meyer, with whom he had spent 10 seasons. While the quarterbacks coach at Utah, Mullen developed current NFL standout Alex Smith – the first overall selection in the 2005 NFL Draft – from a pocket passer into an efficient executor of the spread, making him one of the most versatile threats in college football. Smith took over the starting job three games into Mullen’s tenure, passing for 2,247 yards and running for 452 to finish second in the Mountain West in total offense in 2003.
The 2004 campaign saw Smith earn National Player of the Year honors from The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, while also becoming Utah’s first-ever Heisman Trophy finalist. Smith also garnered final consideration for the Davey O’Brien and Walter Camp National Player of the Year Awards. Smith passed for 2,952 yards and 32 touchdowns and ran for 631 yards and 10 scores on the year, ranking second in the nation with a 176.5 efficiency rating and leading the Utes to a perfect 12-0 season and a Fiesta Bowl championship. As a team, Utah finished the 2004 season third in the nation in scoring offense (45.3) and total offense (499.8).
Prior to his stint at Utah, Mullen served as quarterbacks’ coach at Bowling Green for two seasons, putting up 6,627 yards of total offense and scoring 81 touchdowns during that span. In 2002, quarterback Josh Harris threw for 2,425 yards, ran for 737 yards and completed the campaign as the nation’s third-leading scorer.
Mullen spent the two years before his Bowling Green stint as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame, and before that assisted with Syracuse’s 1998 BIG EAST championship and Orange Bowl run.
Academic and Off the Field Success
Off the field, Mullen’s players are constant achievers in the classroom and the community donating countless hours to the Starkville area and state of Mississippi. A school-record 31 Bulldogs were named to the 2016 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, which ranked among the top five in the league. During Mullen’s entire tenure at MSU, 166 players have earned the distinction of SEC Honor Roll recipient.
State is tied for the SEC lead in number of National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athletes produced since 2010 with two. Mullen joined Taveze Calhoun in New York in December 2015 as the senior cornerback was chosen a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, the “Academic Heisman” considered the top academic award in all of college football.
MSU’s NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) continues to shine and was a critical component to the Bulldogs’ bowl berth in 2016. In May 2017, Mullen’s program posted an NCAA APR of 974, representing the highest in school history and the fifth-best mark in the SEC. MSU’s most recent NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) unveiled in the fall of 2016 exceeded the program’s all-time high score and was above the national average.
A two-year starter at tight end for Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa., Mullen earned first-team All-Centennial Conference honors as a senior. He is married to the former Megan West, and the couple has two children, one son (Canon) and one daughter (Breelyn).
The Mullen’s created the Mullen Family 36 Foundation, raising close to $500,000 for charity in the last five years. The foundation has impacted the lives of 36 different children’s charities throughout the state of Mississippi and annually chooses a deserving student for a college scholarship. In the spring of 2017, the foundation hosted its first golf classic, bringing back former Bulldogs and celebrities that raised over $100,000 for children’s charities.
Mullen crossed a bucket list item off in April 2016. Two days after coaching in the Bulldogs’ spring game, he received a sponsorship exemption through Adidas to run the 120th Boston Marathon, which he completed in 4:28:35. In the process, the Mullen 36 Family Foundation raised over $60,000 through race donations. An avid runner who grew up just over 50 miles from the finish line in Manchester, New Hampshire, he ran 26.2 miles through the historic course with several MSU fans cheering him on.
Coaching Experience
2009-17: Mississippi State (Head Coach)
2005-08: Florida (Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks)
2003-04: Utah (Quarterbacks)
2001-02: Bowling Green (Quarterbacks)
1999-00: Notre Dame (Graduate Assistant Offense)
1998: Syracuse (Graduate Assistant Offense)
1996-97: Columbia (Wide Receivers)
1994-95: Wagner (Wide Receivers)
Bowl Games as a Head Coach
2016: St. Petersburg Bowl
2015: Belk Bowl
2014: Orange Bowl
2013: Liberty Bowl
2013: Gator Bowl
2011: Music City Bowl
2011: Gator Bowl
Bowl Games as an Assistant Coach
2009: BCS National Championship Game (Florida)
2008: Capital One Bowl (Florida)
2007: BCS National Championship Game (Florida)
2006: Outback Bowl (Florida)
2005: Fiesta Bowl (Utah)
2003: Liberty Bowl (Utah)
2001: Fiesta Bowl (Notre Dame)
1999: Orange Bowl (Syracuse)
Personal Information
Birthdate: April 27, 1972
Age: 45
Hometown: Manchester, NH
Education: 1994 – Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Ursinus College; 1996 – Master’s Degree in Education from Wagner College
Wife: Megan
Children: Canon and Breelyn Elisabeth
Mullen's Year-by-Year Record
Year, School, Overall Record, SEC Record
2009, Mississippi State, 5-7, 3-5
2010, Mississippi State, 9-4, 4-4
2011, Mississippi State, 7-6, 2-6
2012, Mississippi State, 8-5, 4-4
2013, Mississippi State, 7-6, 3-5
2014, Mississippi State, 10-3, 6-2
2015, Mississippi State, 9-4, 4-4
2016, Mississippi State, 6-7, 3-5
TOTALS, 61-42 (.592), 29-35 (.453)
Mullen's NFL Players
78 Players (50 at Mississippi State)
Position Player (Draft Round) • College • Last NFL Team
DL Nelson Adams (FA) • Mississippi State • Pittsburgh Steelers
DL Denico Autry (FA) • Mississippi State • Oakland Raiders
WR Dallas Baker (7th) • Florida • Pittsburgh Steelers
RB Vick Ballard (5th) • Mississippi State • New Orleans Saints
CB Johnthan Banks (2nd) • Mississippi State • Chicago Bears
OL Ben Beckwith (FA) • Mississippi State • San Diego Chargers
P/K Devon Bell (FA) • Mississippi State • Detroit Lions
S Wade Bonner (FA) • Mississippi State • Philadelphia Eagles
DL Josh Boyd (5th) • Mississippi State • Indianapolis Colts
QB John Brantley (FA) • Florida • Baltimore Ravens
LB Beniquez Brown (FA) • Mississippi State • Green Bay Packers
LB Richie Brown (FA) • Mississippi State • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DL Ryan Brown (FA) • Mississippi State • Cincinnati Bengals
WR Chad Bumphis (FA) • Mississippi State • Jacksonville Jaguars
OG Lance Butler (FA) • Florida • Cleveland Browns
WR Andre Caldwell (3rd) • Florida • Denver Broncos
CB Taveze Calhoun (FA) • Mississippi State • New Orleans Saints
DL Johnathan Calvin (FA) • Mississippi State • Green Bay Packers
OL James Carmon (FA) • Mississippi State • Buffalo Bills
LB Jamar Chaney (7th) • Mississippi State • Denver Broncos
SNP Winston Chapman (FA) • Mississippi State • Miami Dolphins
DL Dewayne Cherrington (FA) • Mississippi State • Seattle Seahawks
WR Arceto Clark (FA) • Mississippi State • Seattle Seahawks
OL Blaine Clausell (FA) • Mississippi State • Carolina Panthers
WR Riley Cooper (5th) • Florida • Philadelphia Eagles
DL Fletcher Cox (1st) • Mississippi State • Philadelphia Eagles
S Justin Cox (FA) • Mississippi State • Kansas City Chiefs
OL Dillon Day (FA) • Mississippi State • Denver Broncos
RB Anthony Dixon (6th) • Mississippi State • Buffalo Bills
DL Kaleb Eulls (FA) • Mississippi State • Los Angeles Chargers
OL Marcus Gilbert (2nd) • Florida • Pittsburgh Steelers
OT Randy Hand (FA) • Florida • New England Patriots
QB Josh Harris (6th) • Bowling Green • Baltimore Ravens
WR Percy Harvin (1st) • Florida • Buffalo Bills
S Jay Hughes (FA) • Mississippi State • St. Louis Rams
OG Maurice Hurt (7th) • Florida • Washington Redskins
TE Cornelius Ingram (5th) • Florida • Denver Broncos
WR Chad Jackson (2nd) • Florida • Oakland Raiders
OG Gabe Jackson (3rd) • Mississippi State • Oakland Raiders
QB Omar Jacobs (5th) • Bowling Green • Pittsburgh Steelers
DL Nick James (FA) • Mississippi State • Detroit Lions
TE Malcolm Johnson (FA) • Mississippi State • Seattle Seahawks
DT Chris Jones (2nd) • Mississippi State • Kansas City Chiefs
OL Addison Lawrence (FA) • Mississippi State • Baltimore Ravens
LB Cameron Lawrence (FA) • Mississippi State • Dallas Cowboys
QB Chris Leak (FA) • Florida • Chicago Bears
DL Kyle Love (FA) • Mississippi State • Carolina Panthers
LB Benardrick McKinney (2nd) • Mississippi State • Houston Texans
DL Pernell McPhee (5th) • Mississippi State • Chicago Bears
C Drew Miller (FA) • Florida • Jacksonville Jaguars
S Charles Mitchell (6th) • Mississippi State • Denver Broncos
RB Kestahn Moore (FA) • Florida • Tennessee Titans
WR Louis Murphy (4th) • Florida • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR David Nelson (FA) • Florida • New York Jets
RB LaDarius Perkins (FA) • Mississippi State • Indianapolis Colts
C Maurkice Pouncey (1st) • Florida • Pittsburgh Steelers
C Mike Pouncey (1st) • Florida • Miami Dolphins
QB Dak Prescott (4th) • Mississippi State • Dallas Cowboys
RB Chris Rainey (5th) • Florida • Arizona Cardinals
CB Will Redmond (3rd) • Mississippi State • San Francisco 49ers
RB Josh Robinson (6th) • Mississippi State • Indianapolis Colts
WR Fred Ross (FA) • Mississippi State • Carolina Panthers
OL Quentin Saulsberry (FA) • Mississippi State • Minnesota Vikings
OL Justin Senior (6th) • Mississippi State • Seattle Seahawks
OL Derek Sherrod (1st) • Mississippi State • Kansas City Chiefs
LB Deontae Skinner (FA) • Mississippi State • New York Giants
CB Darius Slay (2nd) • Mississippi State • Detroit Lions
QB Alex Smith (1st) • Utah • Kansas City Chiefs
DL Preston Smith (2nd) • Mississippi State • Washington Redskins
OL Phil Trautwein (FA) • Florida • St. Louis Rams
QB Tim Tebow (1st) • Florida • Philadelphia Eagles
WR Deonte Thompson (FA) • Florida • Baltimore Ravens
OT Tavares Washington (FA) • Florida • San Francisco 49ers
OL Jason Watkins (FA) • Florida • Philadelphia Eagles
LB Matt Wells (6th) • Mississippi State • St. Louis Rams
LB Chris White (6th) • Mississippi State • New England Patriots
LB K.J. Wright (4th) • Mississippi State • Seattle Seahawks
RB DeShawn Wynn (7th) • Florida • Green Bay Packers
What They Are Saying About Dan Mullen ...
“Right now, there’s no head coach in college football who has a better quarterback resume than this guy. He was the offensive coordinator at Utah for Alex Smith — a QB playing at a high level for the Kansas City Chiefs. Tim Tebow — his next quarterback at Florida — won the Heisman Trophy. And now, at Mississippi State … with Dak Prescott, and look how he’s playing in the NFL.”
- Gary Danielson, CBS analyst
“I like offensive football and because of that, I have always been a fan of Dan Mullen. When I first saw Dan Mullen, he was the offensive coordinator at Utah coaching Alex Smith. They win the Fiesta Bowl. They go 12-0. He goes and gets Tim Tebow. He wins the Heisman Trophy at Florida. First round draft choices.”
- Jon Gruden, former NFL coach and current ESPN analyst
“He cares a lot. He puts a lot of effort into it. He’s not going to stick to just one thing. He’s going to try to adapt. He’s smart. He’s smart with a very high IQ and a good play-caller.”
- Tim Tebow, Heisman Trophy winner
“One of the main reasons I went to Mississippi State was knowing he coached Alex Smith and Tim Tebow. Seeing what those guys did in his offense and being dynamic players, I knew it would give me the platform to do so.”
- Dak Prescott, 2016 NFL Draft pick
“He’s taking two and three star recruits and turning them into some of the top players and athletes in all of college football. From a technique, coaching standpoint and the way he develops players, anybody can argue he’s one of the better coaches. Overall, he’s one of those guys that is just good for college football.”
– David Greene, SEC Network
“Mullen has delivered. Mississippi State is the top team in college football, a testament to Mullen’s ability to develop two- and three-star recruiting talent.”
- Zac Ellis, Sports Illustrated (10.15.14)
“Even if Mississippi State loses three games by the end of the year, Mullen deserves an honor for transforming a historically downtrodden program into the No. 1 team in the nation -- no matter how long that ranking lasts. He’s one of the most respected coaches in the nation. He deserves it.”
- Gabriel Baumgaertner, Sports Illustrated (10.15.14)
“It took five years, but he (Dan Mullen) has absolutely changed the perception of Mississippi State football. Ranked No. 1 with a solid defense and a Heisman Trophy contender at QB, Mullen has built a program no one thought possible.”
– Alex Scarborough, ESPN.com (10.14.14)
“Dan Mullen is the guiding force behind this blooming program, nurturing it through an improbable growth spurt from doormat to decent to dominant. There isn't an ounce of fluke in what the Bulldogs are doing in Mullen's sixth season. No fan base is louder and prouder than Bulldog Nation right now.”
– Pat Forde, Yahoo.com (10.11.14)
“So seriously this time, coach, how did you find the players to compete at Mississippi State? Mullen has answered the question this week the same way he has for the past five years — the same way every coach has always answered it — with sincere platitudes about hard work, chips on shoulders, and a personal drive to be the best.”
– Matt Hinton, Grantland.com (10.9.14)
“Dan Mullen’s offense is machine-like.”
– Chris Low, ESPN.com (9.20.14)
