Mullen vs Freesze (Who's the better coach)

[Dental Dawg]

I have seen on numerous boards where they rate the SEC coaches. I have never seen Mullen rated higher than Freeze. I for one do not buy into the thought that Freeze is a better coach. Freeze had a good year at Arkansas State, and he has done a good job at Ole Miss (coaching and recruiting). I don't think his body of work compares to what Mullen has done at MSU. Starkville is not the easy place to recruit and the SEC West has been brutal for the last 5 years. Call me biased, but I think Mullen is a better overall coach than Freeze.

[mstatefan91]

Overall, Mullen is better.
Recruiting and preaching goes to Freezus hands down.

[The Croom Diaries]

Freeze's first two years are virtually identical to Mullen's. In fact, they are both 15-11 through their first 26 games. In their first two years Mullen had one really good class (09) and Freeze had one really good class (13) but Freeze's was slightly better, and they also had one not so good class: Mullen (10), Freeze (12), with Freeze's being slightly (to a lot) worse. They are both 1-1 against one another. The only tie-breaker would be their 3rd recruiting class which Freeze smoked Mullen pretty good on. That doesn't make him a better coach but looking from the outside I could see why people would think so. The fact that Freeze's ceiling has yet to be determined and most believe Mullen has reached his ceiling at MSU makes people believe Freeze is probably better. Honestly, I think they come at it from completely different angles but are roughly the same.

[Todd4State]

If I had to choose one, I'd choose Dan.

His teams play hard for the most part, they're disciplined on the field, we haven't had too many off the field incidents. I think he is underrated as a recruiter- and he is a great evaluator of talent and develops it very well.

[HancockCountyDog]

Freeze's first two years are virtually identical to Mullen's. In fact, they are both 15-11 through their first 26 games. In their first two years Mullen had one really good class (09) and Freeze had one really good class (13) but Freeze's was slightly better, and they also had one not so good class: Mullen (10), Freeze (12), with Freeze's being slightly (to a lot) worse. They are both 1-1 against one another. The only tie-breaker would be their 3rd recruiting class which Freeze smoked Mullen pretty good on. That doesn't make him a better coach but looking from the outside I could see why people would think so. The fact that Freeze's ceiling has yet to be determined and most believe Mullen has reached his ceiling at MSU makes people believe Freeze is probably better. Honestly, I think they come at it from completely different angles but are roughly the same.

I would take Dan. I just think he has proven more than Freezus.

Of course, I have to also admit that Dan walked into a better situation than freezus. The 09 recruiting class he inherited and the 09 defense and eventual 10 defense had more NFL talent than any in recent memory. Nutt left the bears in a true dumpster fire. They won't have a single player drafted as a senior from the 12 or 13 team. That is dumpster fire as far as talent and development by Nutt, which Dan is extremely good at.

Freezus hasn't proven that he can develop talent, and he also hasn't proven that he can keep talent on campus.

The best you can say about freezus is that he was able to make a crappy team less crappy and get to 6 wins in his first year. That was a good coaching job, but it wasn't better than Dan's '10 season.

[ShotgunDawg]

Just ask this question:

If you were a non SEC school, say Michigan, which coach would you want more? I think the answer is clearly Mullen.

Perhaps Freeze has an act that plays well in the south, but Mullen's skill set is much more versatile and transferable to other parts of the country.

[Political Hack]

I can't help but view Freeze as anything but a snake oil salesman so I can't give an unbiased opinion.

The fact that Michigan, Minnesota, Miami, and others came after Mullen early on probably settles this though.

[M.Fillmore]

Put Freeze under the constraint of having Bracky as his Compliance chief, and then ask the question.
Dan Mullen hand down and it ain't close.

[Coach34]

Recruit? Freezus
Coach? Mullen

[Johnson85]

Mullen is definitely more of a proven commodity. Comparing them after two years of head coaching in the SEC, Freeze is slightly behind where Mullen was as far as coaching performance, but well ahead of recruiting performance.

Freeze could continue to improve (or get better assistants) and look better than Mullen, but two years isn't enough of a sample. I'd say it takes at least 4 years to know about a coach, and even then, they might make easily correctable mistakes that cause them setbacks and it could take more than 4 years to see whether they learn and get better or not.

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

Heads up it is a tough call. However, msu's staff is light years better than ole miss'.

[quickstrike2]

I think they both are solid coaches. Freeze is the better recruiter, but he is at a school that has a better recruiting scheme. I believe Mullen is restricted in what he can do in the recruiting game.

Mullen seems like a very solid developer. His built a roster of solid players that weren't 5 star caliber. He did this thru redshirting, developing raw talent, and getting the right kind of guys for the systems he runs.

[Dental Dawg]

Yet the media will say Ole Miss has the better staff.

[RossDawg82]

Just look at the talent that MSU has put in the NFL under Mullen. They were not 5* guys, they were 2&3* that were developed into studs.

[esplanade91]

Just ask this question:

If you were a non SEC school, say Michigan, which coach would you want more? I think the answer is clearly Mullen.

Perhaps Freeze has an act that plays well in the south, but Mullen's skill set is much more versatile and transferable to other parts of the country.

And I think this is exactly right.

Freeze's act wouldn't work anywhere else in the country, including his alma mater (who has never come calling). But it works wonderfully at Ole Miss making him a homerun hire for them.

And Mullen might not work anywhere else either. He has made his living on being the only saving grace for a lot of otherwise UFA's out of SWAC schools (who never do anything because they were not given the same resources as they are now). Mullen wouldn't work at a big school because he drives off big recruits (well documented how Tebow didn't want to go to Florida initially because of Mullen)... But at schools like MSU, Texas Tech, Utah... He'd rack up on people no one else wants and win similarly to he is now.

Freeze NEEDS a low-income, God fearing recruiting base and a "southern proper" institution to bring them to. Only other place I could see it working is Oklahoma State, and that's a stretch.

ETA: Of course, Mullen has learned a lot about the business since almost causing Tebow to not go to UF. Freeze will eventually evolve too.

[Dirtbagdawg]

It's really not even close. Don't let ole miss fans fool you into
Thinking it is. All this Freeze is a better recruiter talk is also hog wash.
Everyone knows how ole miss gets the majority of their highly rated players.
You think Treadwell, Tunsil, Kimdeche, etc came to ole miss
Because they loved Freeze? Get real.

[Martianlander]

Mullen is much better IMO. He develops players. Give Freeze another year or two to show his colors and most people will know it's no contest.

[BogeyGolfer]

I have seen on numerous boards where they rate the SEC coaches. I have never seen Mullen rated higher than Freeze. I for one do not buy into the thought that Freeze is a better coach. Freeze had a good year at Arkansas State, and he has done a good job at Ole Miss (coaching and recruiting). I don't think his body of work compares to what Mullen has done at MSU. Starkville is not the easy place to recruit and the SEC West has been brutal for the last 5 years. Call me biased, but I think Mullen is a better overall coach than Freeze.

I would like to have Mullen as an X and O's guy and Freeze as a recruiter on same staff.

[JDog13]

Take the two good assistants away from Freezus and see how long it takes the bears to boo him from a half empty stadium.

[hells bells]

Take the two good assistants away from Freezus and see how long it takes the bears to boo him from a half empty stadium.

Will take Mullen. He might let Freezus hold one of his National Championship Rings one day. Gotta remember CDM said it would take at least eight years to build the program, stadium included I am sure. Shit, I like Dan. Sometimes a coach with a FU attitude gives a fan base with no backbone a reason man up.

[Pollodawg]

Will take Mullen. He might let Freezus hold one of his National Championship Rings one day. Gotta remember CDM said it would take at least eight years to build the program, stadium included I am sure. Shit, I like Dan. Sometimes a coach with a FU attitude gives a fan base with no backbone a reason man up.


Really? I have never heard this before. I am not saying that you're wrong. I have just never heard it. And people will tell you that Freeze is a better coach than Mullen because he won immediately in year one where one where Mullen did not. However, he also got to play a train wreck of an Arkansas team and an even worse Auburn team right out of the gates, too. Had Mullen had OM's schedule in 2009, we would have likely gone bowling as well.

And he had the win over LSU last season when LSU was a top ten team. That skews people a little in Hugh's favor, but I don't think Mullen is any less of a coach than Freeze is, and Mullen also has a win over a ranked SEC team on the road in one of the nation's most hostile stadiums, and Freeze doesn't.

[Pollodawg]

To sum it all up, Freeze is an OK coach, but I don't think he will outdo Dan in the long run. As in, I legit think that he is a 7-6/8-5 head coach with the occasional big upset thrown in here and there. But we are def better at QB then they are, which all falls on Dan's recruiting.

[Todd4State]

Really? I have never heard this before. I am not saying that you're wrong. I have just never heard it. And people will tell you that Freeze is a better coach than Mullen because he won immediately in year one where one where Mullen did not. However, he also got to play a train wreck of an Arkansas team and an even worse Auburn team right out of the gates, too. Had Mullen had OM's schedule in 2009, we would have likely gone bowling as well.

And he had the win over LSU last season when LSU was a top ten team. That skews people a little in Hugh's favor, but I don't think Mullen is any less of a coach than Freeze is, and Mullen also has a win over a ranked SEC team on the road in one of the nation's most hostile stadiums, and Freeze doesn't.

If he did say that, Byrne did publicize it after the Seven Year Croom plan that Croom talked about it seemed like every day.

[Todd4State]

If Freeze was our coach, I'd be worried that the NCAA would change the clock rules at some point. If that happens, Freeze is toast.

[hells bells]

Really? I have never heard this before. I am not saying that you're wrong. I have just never heard it. And people will tell you that Freeze is a better coach than Mullen because he won immediately in year one where one where Mullen did not. However, he also got to play a train wreck of an Arkansas team and an even worse Auburn team right out of the gates, too. Had Mullen had OM's schedule in 2009, we would have likely gone bowling as well.

And he had the win over LSU last season when LSU was a top ten team. That skews people a little in Hugh's favor, but I don't think Mullen is any less of a coach than Freeze is, and Mullen also has a win over a ranked SEC team on the road in one of the nation's most hostile stadiums, and Freeze doesn't.

Your right Pollodawg you did not. Friends dad met CDM upon arrival at State. He is a SuperDawg not Cigar Club. CDM emphasized the needed stadium, practice facility update. The Package. Eight year plan. Look I am no insider, but I know and trust what I am told.

[Pollodawg]

Your right Pollodawg you did not. Friends dad met CDM upon arrival at State. He is a SuperDawg not Cigar Club. CDM emphasized the needed stadium, practice facility update. The Package. Eight year plan. Look I am no insider, but I know and trust what I am told.


I have no insider info at all. So, there's that I guess. lol