Looks like an annoucement is coming

[basedog]

Monday or early next week according to Rosebowl.

If what he posted is true it's gonna be O or Manny. He stated that O has reached out to others about the DC job and if true sounds like he wants it bad.

As for as Manny, it sounds like he wants to come back to Starkville, what I have read about him makes me think Mullen would be comfortable with him back but I get the feeling it's gonna be O.

Haley is a rumor according to the report. All three of the defensive coaches will be back and Mullen has stated he wants Turner back.

Mullen is still in Florida with family on vacation and plans on meeting with coaches about the DC job. It is also reported Mullen will fly back to Starkville and meet with his staff Monday for their end of the year meeting.

I ain't worried about O not having DC experience, I also have eased up my feeling for Manny as both he and Mullen know exactly what to expect from each other. I still think O would be a home run for Msu, if Rose Bowl is correct O wants the job bad but so does Manny, I'm ok with either now.

Finally, either one would be better than Collins who was soft and way over-rated.

Now don't shoot the messenger!

[Dawg496]

O is a home run and a proven commodity in recruiting.

Manny's defense in '10 was primarily successful due to the talent. They are equally risky on the Xs and Is so why not go for the sure thing in the other half of the job?

Plus both will only be around for a year or two so might as well go with the one who is gonna have extra motivation to outwork our #1 direct competition.

[I seen it dawg]

Rosebowl? Great it's Sallach as DC

[msstate7]

O is a home run and a proven commodity in recruiting.

Manny's defense in '10 was primarily successful due to the talent. They are equally risky on the Xs and Is so why not go for the sure thing in the other half of the job?

Plus both will only be around for a year or two so might as well go with the one who is gonna have extra motivation to outwork our #1 direct competition.

LA tech had a nice year defensively. They weren't supremely talented

[ShotgunDawg]

O is a home run and a proven commodity in recruiting.

Manny's defense in '10 was primarily successful due to the talent. They are equally risky on the Xs and Is so why not go for the sure thing in the other half of the job?

Plus both will only be around for a year or two so might as well go with the one who is gonna have extra motivation to outwork our #1 direct competition.

Isn't this kind of what we want?

I realize that Manny's defenses were risky, but, when you have a good offense, I think you should take chances on defense, so that you get more turnovers and dictate the game.

There isn't a perfect defense that combines aggressiveness with tons of blitzing but is also completely sound.

[Todd4State]

Can I pat myself on the back for saying this?

I'm not so sure that he is correct about others coming back though.

[Todd4State]

O is a home run and a proven commodity in recruiting.

Manny's defense in '10 was primarily successful due to the talent. They are equally risky on the Xs and Is so why not go for the sure thing in the other half of the job?

Plus both will only be around for a year or two so might as well go with the one who is gonna have extra motivation to outwork our #1 direct competition.

It's a two way street. Manny looked good because he had a lot of talent, but let's be honest- you have to give Manny credit for putting them in a position to succeed.

Nick Saban looks good because of the talent he has as well.

[I seen it dawg]

Doesn't matter if you are the best DC ever. If your players suck your defense will suck.

[ShotgunDawg]

It's a two way street. Manny looked good because he had a lot of talent, but let's be honest- you have to give Manny credit for putting them in a position to succeed.

Nick Saban looks good because of the talent he has as well.

Agree.

I think Manny would be a solid hire, and I wouldn't be disappointed. Plus, he'd likely stay for a while since he's been here before, worked with Dan, and has had to look himself in the mirror since then. He runs an aggressive style, which by judging people's opinions on here, is what they want.

Rosebowl also mentioned that Orgeron is reaching out to current MSU assistants to get them to go to bat for him. Since Tony Hughes coached on Orgeron's staff at Ole Miss, I'd have to believe Tony would be the connection.

I also believe Tony and Orgeron would be a lethal recruiting tandem.

With this hire, Mullen is just going to have to choose between the homerun recruiting hire that may work out as a D coordinator or the schematically aggressive D-coordinator that isn't the greatest recruiter.

I'd be fine with either, since either has their strengths.

[Todd4State]

I'll tell you what I would like to see- Coach O AND Manny. Give Turner a desk job.

[engie]

Diaz - 2 top 25 defenses and an experienced LB coach
Ogre - 0 top 30 defenses and not an experienced LB coach

Not impressed by either if they are the actual hire for our DC position, although you'd come closer to getting me behind Manny simply because he's done it before.

[I seen it dawg]

If Durkin was actually running the def at fla just hire him. Their defense was better than ours anyway. I'll take a swap in DCs. O puts us in this same spot 2 yrs from now and Manny is...Manny. Meh. But Manny will at least have real juice. Even though ithe hire comes off as "see Manny I told you not to leave so get back here and be my bitch again" and Mullen will be able to Mullen with him.

[Really Clark?]

I thought Diaz was considered a good recruiter we just didn't have him long enough to see the benefits? Maybe I'm wrong on that. And as elite of a recruiter that Orgeron is, in the last 7-8 years he been a top 50 recruiter 3 times I think. A couple of really high years but years where Hevesey out recruited him. It's sort of like relief pitchers there is a definite up and down with recruting. Even he has years where we was not in the Top 100.

[Really Clark?]

Durkin is going to Michigan.

[ShotgunDawg]

I thought Diaz was considered a good recruiter we just didn't have him long enough to see the benefits? Maybe I'm wrong on that. And as elite of a recruiter that Orgeron is, in the last 7-8 years he been a top 50 recruiter 3 times I think. A couple of really high years but years where Hevesey out recruited him. It's sort of like relief pitchers there is a definite up and down with recruting. Even he has years where we was not in the Top 100.

Orgeron is an elite recruiter. Those assistant coach recruiting rankings are bogus anyway because it is dependent on which players the coach is actually recruiting. Assistant coaches have area that they recruit, and you, if the talent level in that area is down that particular year, then the coach is SOL.

As for Diaz, I don't think he's been one place long enough for anyone to really know how good he is. He and Collins have followed similar career paths that have them moving around so often that it's difficult to assign them credit for successes and blame for failures.

If we were to hire Diaz, he would be Mullen's bitch and would likely stay for a while.

[ShotgunDawg]

Rosebowl has said this morning that some former players, like Jonathan Banks, are hoping for Diaz.

IMO, this doesn't mean much, but it does mean that players that played in Diaz's scheme believed in it, even after playing for NFL D-coordinators. If nothing else, maybe that should make you feel better if Diaz does come back.

[deltadawg99]

Pendergast is headed to LSU
Durkin is headed to Michigan
Memphis DC left for Mizzou

I think O and Manny are our best options. If it is down to those two I say go with O. He is an elite recruiter that can really help increase our level of talent.

[Really Clark?]

Orgeron is an elite recruiter. Those assistant coach recruiting rankings are bogus anyway because it is dependent on which players the coach is actually recruiting. Assistant coaches have area that they recruit, and you, if the talent level in that area is down that particular year, then the coach is SOL.

As for Diaz, I don't think he's been one place long enough for anyone to really know how good he is. He and Collins have followed similar career paths that have them moving around so often that it's difficult to assign them credit for successes and blame for failures.

If we were to hire Diaz, he would be Mullen's bitch and would likely stay for a while.

There is truth in what you are saying about the rankings to a degree and O is an elite recruiter. I wasn't implying he wasn't. But he is part of those rankings as well and we have to understand that he is not going to automatically bring in 4 five star players from all over the country each and every year. I think some believe just bringing him on board will add that. Now his expertise should help the overall recruiting across the board and he will hit on some great players.

[Op4isabitch]

What would be the cost to get Diaz and O make them Co-DC's like,Diaz and Wilson were, make O the recruiting co-ordinator.

[Mjoelner34]

Monday or early next week according to Rosebowl.

Mullen is still in Florida with family on vacation and plans on meeting with coaches about the DC job. It is also reported Mullen will fly back to Starkville and meet with his staff Monday for their end of the year meeting.


He's on his way back now. A friend of mine just spoke to him in the Atlanta airport.

[Really Clark?]

What would be the cost to get Diaz and O make them Co-DC's like,Diaz and Wilson were, make O the recruiting co-ordinator.

I don't know but would guess $1.5-$2 MIL total. The scale is probably dependent on what O's salary demand is and you have to match Diaz with that for the co-DC to work. Honestly don't see that happening with O though. I think he wants to be the guy here. I might be wrong though.

[Coach34]

We could double Diaz's current salary just to coach LB's...I'd like to have both myself

[NCDawg]

I'll tell you what I would like to see- Coach O AND Manny. Give Turner a desk job.

Yeah, that would be a Grand Slam hire.

[Really Clark?]

We could double Diaz's current salary just to coach LB's...I'd like to have both myself

That's a thought but would Diaz go for just a position coach? As far as career path goes, do you give up a D1 DC job for D1 LB job? Of course maybe that much salary increase makes it easier to go ahead make the move. Tough choice depending on how you view your long term career.

[Op4isabitch]

I'll tell you what I would like to see- Coach O AND Manny. Give Turner a desk job.

This is the kind of hire you make if you are serious about being a top contender in your conference!

Our offense can put up points on anyone now, what we need is a defense that can stop other tems from scoring.
I have to believe with Manny and the wild man we could have some crazy ass Wild Boys defense.

[defiantdog]

I don't want Diaz back. It's kind of like dating an ex-girlfriend. It's sounds like a good idea at first, but it always ends badly.

[deltadawg99]

We could double Diaz's current salary just to coach LB's...I'd like to have both myself

Anyway way that happens?

[NCDawg]

Rosebowl has said this morning that some former players, like Jonathan Banks, are hoping for Diaz.

IMO, this doesn't mean much, but it does mean that players that played in Diaz's scheme believed in it, even after playing for NFL D-coordinators. If nothing else, maybe that should make you feel better if Diaz does come back.

I don't believe it, but C J Johnson said the reason he signed with Ole Miss was because Diaz left.

[Really Clark?]

I don't believe it, but C J Johnson said the reason he signed with Ole Miss was because Diaz left.

You are correct to not believe that quote.

[basedog]

Turner is returning according to the report. I still think it's O's to lose! Btw, with dead period being over Jan 14th, there is no reason to panic, Mullen is probably doing the right thing by not pushing the panic button over a quick decision on his DC. Maybe he knows and he wants to see how bad that person wants to be at Msu, if so and O has reached out former coaches that may be a good thing. I would think Manny is doing the same thing but maybe with former players he coached at Msu.

You never know, but again either hire would be better than what we had plus it may be his best hire so for at choosing a DC even if it's Manny as he now has more experience!

[defiantdog]

Turner is returning according to the report. I still think it's O's to lose! Btw, with dead period being over Jan 14th, there is no reason to panic, Mullen is probably doing the right thing by not pushing the panic button over a quick decision on his DC. Maybe he knows and he wants to see how bad that person wants to be at Msu, if so and O has reached out former coaches that may be a good thing. I would think Manny is doing the same thing but maybe with former players he coached at Msu.

You never know, but again either hire would be better than what we had plus it may be his best hire so for at choosing a DC even if it's Manny as he now has more experience!

Everyone was begging for Collins to get raise last year. Now we're all glad he's gone?

[Op4isabitch]

85th ranked D in the country!!! Yep I'm damn glad he's gone!

[engie]

Everyone was begging for Collins to get raise last year. Now we're all glad he's gone?

Collins had a top 25 defense last year. When we had lost a bunch of players and had a ton of injuries early, and generally a very young defense. He regressed in year 2 despite bringing back 10 bowl starters on that side.

One good year does not beget a lifetime contract.

[Coach34]

Anyway way that happens?

I would doubt it. But I think Diaz makes around 125-150K- if we were serious- we could offer him 500K to coach LB's and be Co-Dc with O. Let O be the actual DC and Recruiting Coordinator. Pay him 750K. That's 1.2MM for both. Currently we paid Collins and Turner a combined 850K- so it would be a 350K increase.

I say it's damn well worth it if we can get them to agree

[Coach34]

Everyone was begging for Collins to get raise last year. Now we're all glad he's gone?

I am. Was no excuse in our D being as bad as it was. McKinney was a non-factor wayyyy too often. Hell, I couldnt tell you if he actually even played in the Egg Bowl. He should have been used to rush the passer and all kinds of ways. And we didnt do it

[basedog]

I would doubt it. But I think Diaz makes around 125-150K- if we were serious- we could offer him 500K to coach LB's and be Co-Dc with O. Let O be the actual DC and Recruiting Coordinator. Pay him 750K. That's 1.2MM for both. Currently we paid Collins and Turner a combined 850K- so it would be a 350K increase.

I say it's damn well worth it if we can get them to agree

34, I was told from a friend of mine in Monroe that Manny makes $350K. I don't think Turner is going anywhere but I guess we shall see pretty soon, maybe Monday evening!

[NCDawg]

I would doubt it. But I think Diaz makes around 125-150K- if we were serious- we could offer him 500K to coach LB's and be Co-Dc with O. Let O be the actual DC and Recruiting Coordinator. Pay him 750K. That's 1.2MM for both. Currently we paid Collins and Turner a combined 850K- so it would be a 350K increase.

I say it's damn well worth it if we can get them to agree

It definitely would be damn well worth it.

[GreenheadDawg]

I am. Was no excuse in our D being as bad as it was. McKinney was a non-factor wayyyy too often. Hell, I couldnt tell you if he actually even played in the Egg Bowl. He should have been used to rush the passer and all kinds of ways. And we didnt do it

I'm anxious to see Collins' defense at UF. I still believe Mullen has his hand in on the defense. We run a bend don't break defense no matter who the DC is. I think it was Palmer that made the comment that we have had several different DCs and we still run the same defense, basically saying that Mullen tells them how to run it. If we are gonna run the bend don't break then we need elite talent and that's where O comes into play

[maroonmania]

Collins had a top 25 defense last year. When we had lost a bunch of players and had a ton of injuries early, and generally a very young defense. He regressed in year 2 despite bringing back 10 bowl starters on that side.

One good year does not beget a lifetime contract.

Well, after watching the Orange Bowl maybe Collins is the only reason we didn't totally stink all year. Apparently without him we couldn't even stop a basic run up the middle.

[msstate7]

I'm anxious to see Collins' defense at UF. I still believe Mullen has his hand in on the defense. We run a bend don't break defense no matter who the DC is. I think it was Palmer that made the comment that we have had several different DCs and we still run the same defense, basically saying that Mullen tells them how to run it. If we are gonna run the bend don't break then we need elite talent and that's where O comes into play

Didn't we lead (or top 10) the country in TFL the year Diaz was DC? You don't get that many TFL without attacking some. Collins blitzed this year, but he drew them up terribly.

[Coach34]

34, I was told from a friend of mine in Monroe that Manny makes $350K. I don't think Turner is going anywhere but I guess we shall see pretty soon, maybe Monday evening!

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/football/assistant


According to this link- Manny made 180K and was the 498th highest paid asst coach in the nation

[Really Clark?]

34, I was told from a friend of mine in Monroe that Manny makes $350K. I don't think Turner is going anywhere but I guess we shall see pretty soon, maybe Monday evening!

Unless it was a recent pay increase or reported incorrectly, USA today lists his salary at LA Tech at $180,000.

[Coach34]

Didn't we lead (or top 10) the country in TFL the year Diaz was DC? You don't get that many TFL without attacking some. Collins blitzed this year, but he drew them up terribly.

We were 18th in the country with 90 under Manny...32nd this year with 85

[GreenheadDawg]

Didn't we lead (or top 10) the country in TFL the year Diaz was DC? You don't get that many TFL without attacking some. Collins blitzed this year, but he drew them up terribly.

I'm just going to be extremely disappointed with a Diaz hire. We can do better

[Really Clark?]

Didn't we lead (or top 10) the country in TFL the year Diaz was DC? You don't get that many TFL without attacking some. Collins blitzed this year, but he drew them up terribly.

No. We were 18th I think with 90. Had the same amount in 2011 and had 85 this year.

[msstate7]

No. We were 18th I think with 90. Had the same amount in 2011 and had 85 this year.

I'm not sure why I thought that. I'll stand by my point that we do attack some. Collins' blitzes just left a lot to be desired

[Really Clark?]

I'm probably going to catch some flack for this but honestly, looking back, 2011 was probably our best defense. I know Wilson had to go after 2012. No question about it and the loss of talent on the DL hurt him as well as his questionable defensive changes away from what Diaz and him done the prior years. But that 2011 defense was really good especially considering that it went up against nearly 1,000 plays. That is a lot for a defense to play against. But we were 13th in the country in yards per play at 4.7. Anything below 5 is very good.

[GreenheadDawg]

I'm not sure why I thought that. I'll stand by my point that we do attack some. Collins' blitzes just left a lot to be desired

I guess I just don't count corner blitzes as "attacking". I thought we wasted Mckinneys athletic ability this year and then Banks and Slays ability to play man coverage.

[msstate7]

I guess I just don't count corner blitzes as "attacking". I thought we wasted Mckinneys athletic ability this year and then Banks and Slays ability to play man coverage.

Like I said, it was just bad design

[engie]

Color me unimpressed with either option. It's more my projection of what the future holds than the reality of the current situation. The 2 defenses we were clearly better than in the west this year just got Chavis and Muschamp.

[Fred Garvin]

Didn't we lead (or top 10) the country in TFL the year Diaz was DC? You don't get that many TFL without attacking some. Collins blitzed this year, but he drew them up terribly.

Didn't we hire Diaz because his defense gave us fits when he was the DC at MTSU?

[GreenheadDawg]

Like I said, it was just bad design

I was agreeing with you but didn't sound that way

[Really Clark?]

I do hope that if it's Coach O, who I'm not really in favor of because of lack of X & O experience, but if it is him I hope everyone realizes that we are probably looking a similar style coach as what we have had. A 4-3 base with a lot of Cover 2, Tampa 2, Cover 3 type of coverages. When you look at his coaching tree it's definitely based on those type of concepts. Which I'm not sure some of you care for. But if you don't like Monte Kiffin and Pete Carroll defenses (who learned under Kiffin as well) you may not like what he does either. Although we have to understand that that philosophy is everywhere are you have a lot of coaches who run defenses based off of those concepts. Now there are a lot of different ways to run the defense but there is a bend but don't break tendency to this. It doesn't have to always be played that way but look at who he coached under.

[Coach34]

Yeah- as an offensive guy- I'd much rather you send CB blitzes at me, which takes away one of your best cover guys- instead of bringing someone like McKinney at my QB who is 6'5-250 and could be devastating off the edge or thru the middle right in my QB's face.

I just dont understand the love some DC's have with a CB blitz. It's ****ing stupid.

[MabenMaroon]

If I am not mistaken, Rosebowl said in those same threads, that Coach Mullen was basically given a lump sum by AD Stricklin to work with for hiring asst's and giving raises. If that is indeed the case, do the folks on the board think that he was given enough to play with. It sort of concerns me because throughout the last couple of years I have listened to Scott on his monthly radio call in shows and other radio appearances and he has kind of come across as a tight wad, making statements like "we have to be very judicial and wise how we spend the money" and other similar statements. Is there going to be sufficient money available for Coach Mullen to do what he wants to do?

[Coach34]

If Mullen told Strick and Keenum he had to have X amount of dollars- he would get it. Dont kid yourself.

[camsu]

Diaz is the DC and LB Coach we need and hope it is him. I think he brings in Leo and everyone else stays. DT will improve and Turner is an excellent DL Coach. I don't think we need Coach O just not who we are or who we want to be. Get it done and lets close on guys for 2015

[Really Clark?]

Yeah- as an offensive guy- I'd much rather you send CB blitzes at me, which takes away one of your best cover guys- instead of bringing someone like McKinney at my QB who is 6'5-250 and could be devastating off the edge or thru the middle right in my QB's face.

I just dont understand the love some DC's have with a CB blitz. It's ****ing stupid.

I don't care for that much either. If I decide to bring someone from the secondary it's a safety or nickle corner off the slot guy. Easier to disguise and roll coverage and doesn't take as long to get to the QB. But I agree I wish McKinney had been used more even if it wasn't as a blitzer but as just a pass rusher.

[I seen it dawg]

We wasted McKinney the whole season. He should have been wreaking havoc on offenses.

[CadaverDawg]

Co-DC's with Manny and O will be the only thing that could get me ecstatic. Hiring O will be good IMO, and hiring Manny will be ok too. We aren't going to set the world on fire with either one of those guys, but we could with both.

If Mullen plays as much of a part in defensive scheme as I'm starting to think he does.....O is the obvious choice, because he will add more talent to that scheme. The only way our defense gets better with the same or similar scheme, is to add more talent to it.....O can do that better than Manny.

I say pay Manny $500k+ to be "LB coach and Co-DC", and pay O $800k+ to be "Co-DC & Recruiting Coordinator", and let's go after a Title while the iron is hot. We can afford to do that, but will our tight wad grasshopper open up that wallet and let some air in?

[Covercorner2]

What about Jay Hopson?

[Coach34]

What about Jay Hopson?

zero chance

[PendingTransaction]

Stricklin doesn't say no to Mullen. Dan will curse him until he cries. Stricklin carries the purse but he doesn't control the money.

[Really Clark?]

What about Jay Hopson?

No discussion. No interest from us. He would be way way way down the list.

[Dawgfan77]

Hearing that there has been push back on the O front from the powers, and it appears it will be Manny 2.0.

[basedog]

I have no clue if you guys are right or wrong about O's ability as a x and o guy. He has been around a lot of good places and schools, that plus having HC'ing experience is a plus. There is no reason to think he can't be a good DC in my opinion. He knows defenses and has been involved with schemes and calls for a long time. What he would bring is an aggressive and in your face attitude.

As for as Manny, he has to be better with lots more experience, he wasn't a bad DC at Msu, maturity is a good thing and same can be said about O.

I still don't get the Mullen is the problem for our past DC's, he spends way more time on the offense and holding back our defenses is just a foolish thought!

Hell, it seems to me you better be so good on offense that defenses now days or just an after thought! Ain't no more 7-6 games or even 17-14 games unless you suck!

[Op4isabitch]

I'm going out on a limb and guessing nobody on this board knows anything! Not a knock on anyone, just seems like everyone says "I'm hearing" when they should be saying "I read somewhere."

[CadaverDawg]

Hearing that there has been push back on the O front from the powers, and it appears it will be Manny 2.0.

If Keenum and Stricklin are trying to block Orgeron, it might be time for a change.....do they remember what happened when they blocked Kenny Payne?

I truly hope it's just the DC experience factor, and not that Keenum and/or Stricklin got involved. If that happened, Mullen will leave the next chance he gets, because he won't go for being forbidden to hire someone that can help progress the program. And I don't blame him. I just can't believe Stricklin/Keenum got involved until I hear it, because they wouldn't risk saying no to the man that just brought in all of this money this season.

[Saltydog]

on assistant coaches. That decision should be the HC himself, assuming the salary considerations can be arranged.

[Dawgfan77]

on assistant coaches. That decision should be the HC himself, assuming the salary considerations can be arranged.
The powers have to sign off on it and won't.
It's not just an MSU thing any staff additions have to be approved

[Ifyouonlyknew]

If Mullen thinks O is the guy Stricklin & Keenum won't stand in the way.

[maroonmania]

The powers have to sign off on it and won't.
It's not just an MSU thing any staff additions have to be approved

Good heavens, I am so sick of being the only school in FBS that sits around hand wringing over the NCAA while everyone else just tells them to go **** themselves.

[Mjoelner34]

Good heavens, I am so sick of being the only school in FBS that sits around hand wringing over the NCAA while everyone else just tells them to go **** themselves.

This times eleventy billion!