Rece Davis Tweet

[ShotgunDawg]

I have mixed emotions about this tweet:

http://i.imgur.com/9Y2IHPz.jpg

- On one hand, I think Mullen's staff overall does a fine job, &, with OM's current issues, we should lock them up to huge money. I've made my feelings heard on this in multiple threads.

- On the other hand, I'm extremely tired of being told that MSU is "less". I hate listening to Bo Bounds talk about it, twitter mention it, etc. It perpetuates a narrative that insinuates something different than reality. MSU is a consistent top 25 recruiter, while many programs who don't have the narrative of being "less" are much worse than that. I'm just tired of hearing about how we are "less" & how our coach could/should leave all the time. It's a coversation that brings down the moral of state & I'm not sure why media people in our state continue to talk about it. Why not pump up a place like MSU & initiate a new narrative? How does OM, which has about the same resources as us, typically doesn't have to fight this narrative?

- With situations like our OL recruiting, FG kicking, & the narrative that Mullen does more with less, it's amazing to me how much "winning" Mullen leaves on the table. The narrative is frustrating because it basically blames MSU for all of Mullen's shortcomings while giving him credit for doing more with less whenever he wins. MSU is caught in the middle of narrative in which it never gets any credit. It almost seems like the only way MSU will ever receive credit is if Mullen leaves & the next coach wins. I prefer winning over getting credit, but the narrative is old & demoralizing.

[Dawgtini]

5/10 - not enough TSUN in tweet or comment.

[CadaverDawg]

I agree Shotgun. Unfortunately the flamboyant always get more attention and research than those like MSU that recruit at a top 25 level and average 7-8+ wins, but do so in a quiet business like way.

[ShotgunDawg]

MSU has to be one of the best jobs in America.

It's one of, what has to be only a few jobs in America, where you can recruit enough talent to be a consistent top 25 team, but get no blame for losing due to the narrative/public perception of the school.

[smootness]

I have mixed emotions about this tweet:

http://i.imgur.com/9Y2IHPz.jpg

- On one hand, I think Mullen's staff overall does a fine job, &, with OM's current issues, we should lock them up to huge money. I've made my feelings heard on this in multiple threads.

- On the other hand, I'm extremely tired of being told that MSU is "less". I hate listening to Bo Bounds talk about it, twitter mention it, etc. It perpetuates a narrative that insinuates something different than reality. MSU is a consistent top 25 recruiter, while many programs who don't have the narrative of being "less" are much worse than that. I'm just tired of hearing about how we are "less" & how our coach could/should leave all the time. It's a coversation that brings down the moral of state & I'm not sure why media people in our state continue to talk about it. Why not pump up a place like MSU & initiate a new narrative? How does OM, which has about the same resources as us, typically doesn't have to fight this narrative?

- With situations like our OL recruiting, FG kicking, & the narrative that Mullen does more with less, it's amazing to me how much "winning" Mullen leaves on the table. The narrative is frustrating because it basically blames MSU for all of Mullen's shortcomings while giving him credit for doing more with less whenever he wins. MSU is caught in the middle of narrative in which it never gets any credit. It almost seems like the only way MSU will ever receive credit is if Mullen leaves & the next coach wins. I prefer winning over getting credit, but the narrative is old & demoralizing.

So one of the biggest national names in CFB says our coach is knocking on the door of the top 5 in the country, and says that a large part of the reason is because he has been able to elevate a program that has historically not been very good (which is an entirely correct statement), and now we're upset? Because we think he should be doing even better?

It takes time to build a program. A lot of time. Mullen is in the process of doing it, and if you want to argue that Sherrill started it to some degree, that's fine, I'm not going to argue with that. But Mullen is doing it. That benefits Mississippi State in the long run. He has done a great job here. There are real shortcomings and disadvantages at State, that is simply a fact. I don't know why we're hesitant to acknowledge that.

Mississippi State is not going to get credit for creating its own success until multiple coaches come in here and win, you're right. And why wouldn't that be the case? We have a poor history. Then Sherrill came in, was a little up and down but then starting building something, then it completely crashed and burned. Then Croom came in and won nothing. Then Mullen came in and he is now building something. Why would someone from the national media look at that situation and think, 'Well, it's Mississippi State, of course Mullen has been able to have success'?

I just don't know why we get so defensive over stuff like this. It is a very positive tweet for us...because Mullen is currently our coach.

[smootness]

I agree Shotgun. Unfortunately the flamboyant always get more attention and research than those like MSU that recruit at a top 25 level and average 7-8+ wins, but do so in a quiet business like way.

When have we ever averaged 7-8+ wins? And when have we even been a consistent top 25 recruiter? Even Mullen hasn't quite won 7/year at this point.

[ShotgunDawg]

So one of the biggest national names in CFB says our coach is knocking on the door of the top 5 in the country, and says that a large part of the reason is because he has been able to elevate a program that has historically not been very good (which is an entirely correct statement), and now we're upset? Because we think he should be doing even better?

It takes time to build a program. A lot of time. Mullen is in the process of doing it, and if you want to argue that Sherrill started it to some degree, that's fine, I'm not going to argue with that. But Mullen is doing it. That benefits Mississippi State in the long run. He has done a great job here. There are real shortcomings and disadvantages at State, that is simply a fact. I don't know why we're hesitant to acknowledge that.

Mississippi State is not going to get credit for creating its own success until multiple coaches come in here and win, you're right. And why wouldn't that be the case? We have a poor history. Then Sherrill came in, was a little up and down but then starting building something, then it completely crashed and burned. Then Croom came in and won nothing. Then Mullen came in and he is now building something. Why would someone from the national media look at that situation and think, 'Well, it's Mississippi State, of course Mullen has been able to have success'?

I just don't know why we get so defensive over stuff like this. It is a very positive tweet for us...because Mullen is currently our coach.

I agree with everything you just said. Great post.

But, like I said, I have mixed feeling about the post.

[BrunswickDawg]

When have we ever averaged 7-8+ wins? And when have we even been a consistent top 25 recruiter? Even Mullen hasn't quite won 7/year at this point.

Well, if you go by the "bowl games don't count", he hasn't (6.125). If you count bowls, he is at 7.625 - 7-8 wins a season

[Tbonewannabe]

So one of the biggest national names in CFB says our coach is knocking on the door of the top 5 in the country, and says that a large part of the reason is because he has been able to elevate a program that has historically not been very good (which is an entirely correct statement), and now we're upset? Because we think he should be doing even better?

It takes time to build a program. A lot of time. Mullen is in the process of doing it, and if you want to argue that Sherrill started it to some degree, that's fine, I'm not going to argue with that. But Mullen is doing it. That benefits Mississippi State in the long run. He has done a great job here. There are real shortcomings and disadvantages at State, that is simply a fact. I don't know why we're hesitant to acknowledge that.

Mississippi State is not going to get credit for creating its own success until multiple coaches come in here and win, you're right. And why wouldn't that be the case? We have a poor history. Then Sherrill came in, was a little up and down but then starting building something, then it completely crashed and burned. Then Croom came in and won nothing. Then Mullen came in and he is now building something. Why would someone from the national media look at that situation and think, 'Well, it's Mississippi State, of course Mullen has been able to have success'?

I just don't know why we get so defensive over stuff like this. It is a very positive tweet for us...because Mullen is currently our coach.

Also Snyder and Patterson are in the same situation as Mullen only they have built their programs longer. MSU is a better job than either KSU or TCU. We have had sporadic success through out our history. Mullen is building a foundation of consistency. It took Bobby Bowden a while to build FSU into where they are now. It took him a long time to finally win a National Title and now Jimbo has them as a top 5-10 program every year along with another National Title. Clemson has also been building toward what they have now for quite a while. If you want it quick then get Hugh Freeze. He was able to get UNM into a Peach Bowl and Sugar Bowl after only a couple of years of their program being in the shitter.

That is your 2 choices: slow build with Mullen or quick with Freeze. We see what going quick does for your program. Most corrupt program in college football history.

[Delmar]

Well, if you go by the "bowl games don't count", he hasn't (6.125). If you count bowls, he is at 7.625 - 7-8 wins a season

So this math seems very unlikely unless we've been playing in more than one bowl game per year.

[BrunswickDawg]

Well, if you go by the "bowl games don't count", he hasn't (6.125). If you count bowls, he is at 7.625 - 7-8 wins a season


So this math seems very unlikely unless we've been playing in more than one bowl game per year.

Yeah, sorry - 7.625 per season with Bowls; 7 if you don't count bowls.

So, he is winning on average, between 7-8 games a season if you count bowls, but dead on 7 if you don't.

[smootness]

Yeah, sorry - 7.625 per season with Bowls; 7 if you don't count bowls.

So, he is winning on average, between 7-8 games a season if you count bowls, but dead on 7 if you don't.

Yes, I am dumb. I was counting 2017 as a season with 0 wins.

But this only helps further my point. Mullen is winning 7-8 games a year. When else in our history has a coach done that? If no one, then shouldn't Mullen get credit for that?

[1bigdawg]

It took Bowden and Paterno a long time to make FSU and PSU relevant. We have advantages they did not which could make it easier at MSY. We are part of a P5 conference and have much more resources compared to the rest of college football than they did at this point in their careers (compared to Mullen).

Now, Mullen has a unique opportunity. UNM is having a breakdown just as some very talented athletes are emerging from Mississippi high schools. If we take advantage of this we can move to the next level and possible stay there.

[HSVDawg]

When have we ever averaged 7-8+ wins? And when have we even been a consistent top 25 recruiter? Even Mullen hasn't quite won 7/year at this point.

Mullen has 61 wins in 8 seasons. 7.6 wins per year. This isn't RP math, bowl games do count.

You are correct about our recruiting though. The 2017 was barely inside the top 25 on signing day, but in actuality due to all the non qualifiers we are now way outside of that threshold. 2016 class was horrible. 2015 class was also barely inside the Top 25. Saying we are a "consistent Top 25 recruiter" doesn't mean anything anyways even if it were true. People who have studied such things in far more detail than myself have proven that the most applicable threshold is Top 15 for elite teams. Signing four classes ranked in the Top 20-25 and four classes in the Top 35-40 won't yield drastically different results if any. Class ranking accuracy goes way way down after the Top 15.

[Tbonewannabe]

Yes, I am dumb. I was counting 2017 as a season with 0 wins.

But this only helps further my point. Mullen is winning 7-8 games a year. When else in our history has a coach done that? If no one, then shouldn't Mullen get credit for that?

Whether Mullen ever wins big consistently or not, he is laying a foundation of bowl games which we have never had before. There aren't too many other teams in the SEC that have went to as many bowl games in a row as us and went to a "BCS" level bowl. I have even seen people mentioning that Fitz will probably get to NY for the Heisman ceremony before he leaves MSU. Mullen and now Dak are making a path for future players and coaches to follow.

[BHildreth3]

Watch out for Texas A&M or Notre Dame this year. I want them to win - b/c Mullen would take those 2 jobs. It would suck if we lose Mullen the year that Freeze gets hammered.

[Tbonewannabe]

Mullen has 61 wins in 8 seasons. 7.6 wins per year. This isn't RP math, bowl games do count.

You are correct about our recruiting though. The 2017 was barely inside the top 25 on signing day, but in actuality due to all the non qualifiers we are now way outside of that threshold. 2016 class was horrible. 2015 class was also barely inside the Top 25. Saying we are a "consistent Top 25 recruiter" doesn't mean anything anyways even if it were true. People who have studied such things in far more detail than myself have proven that the most applicable threshold is Top 15 for elite teams. Signing four classes ranked in the Top 20-25 and four classes in the Top 35-40 won't yield drastically different results if any. Class ranking accuracy goes way way down after the Top 15.

We also had the other program in state that was paying guys not to visit or just buying players out from under us during a dead period when Mullen couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't that we struck out on CJ Johnson, it was the fact that we had him locked in so the coaches weren't going to be able to pull their #2 guy. Even if we are keeping guys "warm", you aren't going to get guys to get the program inside the top 25 when your best players are bought at the last minute.

Everything UNM did was not only to get them a top 5 - 10 recruiting class but to also hurt MSU's recruiting classes. They were trying to raise their program up while sinking ours. Mullen hasn't been on a level playing field for quite a while.

[BB30]

It took Bowden and Paterno a long time to make FSU and PSU relevant. We have advantages they did not which could make it easier at MSY. We are part of a P5 conference and have much more resources compared to the rest of college football than they did at this point in their careers (compared to Mullen).

Now, Mullen has a unique opportunity. UNM is having a breakdown just as some very talented athletes are emerging from Mississippi high schools. If we take advantage of this we can move to the next level and possible stay there.

Eh I don't know about having more advantages than FSU or PSU... Their Alumni base is quite a bit larger. FSU is in a hotbed for recruiting.. I think a lot of our fans struggle with the fact that in this case for now at least perception is close to reality. We really haven't ever been able to have continued success on the football field so Mullen does deserve a ton of credit for the success we have had. Combine what he has done with the popularity of the SEC and the new money and it is a perfect storm. Hopefully we can catch lightening in a bottle and capitalize on our situation now.

[ShotgunDawg]

Watch out for Texas A&M or Notre Dame this year. I want them to win - b/c Mullen would take those 2 jobs. It would suck if we lose Mullen the year that Freeze gets hammered.

A&M will court & probably get Chip Kelly. With the talent available in TX, Kelly would be a stud at A&M.

Notre Dame would be a concern, but they would have to pay more than they currently do. For the Notre Dame job, watch how PJ Fleck does at Minnesota this year. I could see him being a good fit at Notre Dame because I think his personality would up their recruiting profile nationally.

The problem with Mullen is that, while he is an exceptional coach, it's difficult for most ADs to sell a 6-8 win coach from MSU as their programs savior & then pay that 6-8 win coach 4 mil +.

[ShotgunDawg]

We really haven't ever been able to have continued success on the football field so Mullen does deserve a ton of credit for the success we have had. .

How much of our lack of continued success has to do with us continually going on probation throughout our history.

If we can find a way to stay off probation for the next 10 years, my guess is that we can continue to build this.

Go back on probation though, & we are starting back at zero

[Tbonewannabe]

A&M will court & probably get Chip Kelly. With the talent available in TX, Kelly would be a stud at A&M.

Notre Dame would be a concern, but they would have to pay more than they currently do. For the Notre Dame job, watch how PJ Fleck does at Minnesota this year. I could see him being a good fit at Notre Dame because I think his personality would up their recruiting profile nationally.

The problem with Mullen is that, while he is an exceptional coach, it's difficult for most ADs to sell a 6-8 win coach from MSU as their programs savior & then pay that 6-8 win coach 4 mil +.

The run to #1 might convince some school to give him big money but never being close to beating Bama will probably prevent some schools from giving him enough to leave. He basically has built this program exactly how he has wanted it. He had the football complex built to his specifications. He probably actually needs 1 or 2 more 10 win seasons and maybe a win over Bama before big $$ comes calling. Even the run to #1, LSU, A&M, and AU didn't end up with great records. They had good seasons but ended up losing more games.

[Dawgtini]

Eh I don't know about having more advantages than FSU or PSU... Their Alumni base is quite a bit larger. FSU is in a hotbed for recruiting.. I think a lot of our fans struggle with the fact that in this case for now at least perception is close to reality. We really haven't ever been able to have continued success on the football field so Mullen does deserve a ton of credit for the success we have had. Combine what he has done with the popularity of the SEC and the new money and it is a perfect storm. Hopefully we can catch lightening in a bottle and capitalize on our situation now.


Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1947 Ed Williamson 1 0–5 .000
1948–1952 Don Veller 5 31–12–1 .716
1953–1958 Tom Nugent 6 34–28–1 .548
1959 Perry Moss 1 4–6 .400
1960–1970 Bill Peterson 11 62–42–11 .587
1971–1973 Larry Jones 3 15–19 .441
1974–1975 Darrell Mudra 2 4–18 .182
1976–2009 Bobby Bowden 34 304–97–4^ .758
2010–present Jimbo Fisher 7 78–17 .821
Totals 9 coaches 70 seasons 532–244–17 .682
^ Bobby Bowden's record does not include 12 wins that were vacated that would otherwise make his record 316–97–4.

I know the chart is crap, but the point is that FSU was a crap program before Bobby B came along. It takes time, the right coach, and then some luck. I believe we have the right coach, we are working on 7+ wins per year average and looks like we may get a little "luck" from the NCAA to help us on our way. These things don't happen overnight, even with a 'beautiful campus".

[MetEdDawg]

The thought is weird because in a way Mullen is a bit responsible for us being successful with less. His ability (or rather inability) to recruit consistently in the Top 25 has gotten us to the point we are at now, which is wondering whether or not we can get to 8 wins this year. And until the recruiting changes, we will consistently be asking ourselves that question. We can recruit all the QB talent in the world (which we have done a good job of), but if we don't surround that QB with the talent necessary to be successful, we are stuck in the 7-8 win mark.

There isn't a good team out there that has a bad OL. You can have a serviceable OL and be successful, which is something we've done, but you can't be below average, and right now that's where we are with that unit. Same thing for WR's. We are way below average in that area and we all know that position, along with OL, is probably the difference between this team talking about 7-8 wins and talking about 9-10 wins. Give us the WR core from 2 years ago and this team wins 8 games easily.

So while I agree Mullen is a solid coach and does more with less, that's his own fault that we are portrayed that way because in year 9 we are still only bringing in one high school OL in a recruiting class and the two weakest positions on the team are on the offensive side of the ball, which he controls. So until that changes, he will continue to be the "done more with less coach", even though our program and job is significantly better than it was when he got here.

We still aren't a Top 20 job and that will continue until we recruit more consistently across the board. We can't have a great stable of running backs and a phenomenal QB and not have a good OL or decent WRs. Teams that have to pray everything lines up with recruiting, depth, experience, and schedule to get to 8 or 9 wins don't have a Top 20 program. So we will continue to be more with less until that changes.

[Jack Lambert]

Mullen has 61 wins in 8 seasons. 7.6 wins per year. This isn't RP math, bowl games do count.

You are correct about our recruiting though. The 2017 was barely inside the top 25 on signing day, but in actuality due to all the non qualifiers we are now way outside of that threshold. 2016 class was horrible. 2015 class was also barely inside the Top 25. Saying we are a "consistent Top 25 recruiter" doesn't mean anything anyways even if it were true. People who have studied such things in far more detail than myself have proven that the most applicable threshold is Top 15 for elite teams. Signing four classes ranked in the Top 20-25 and four classes in the Top 35-40 won't yield drastically different results if any. Class ranking accuracy goes way way down after the Top 15.

Well we need to get use to it. Mullen said again just the other day he is not going to recruit based on Stars. He is going to find what he needs and evaluate the talent himself.

I will say this if we can signed 8 to 10 of the dandy dozen every year we will have a pretty good team. We will get the best talent out of Mississippi for a few years.

I have always heard if Miss had only one D 1 school in the state it would be unbeatable well for the next few years we will technically have it. So let's see. I am glad Mullen has built a relationship with our high school coaches.

[Johnson85]

So one of the biggest national names in CFB says our coach is knocking on the door of the top 5 in the country, and says that a large part of the reason is because he has been able to elevate a program that has historically not been very good (which is an entirely correct statement), and now we're upset? Because we think he should be doing even better?

It takes time to build a program. A lot of time. Mullen is in the process of doing it, and if you want to argue that Sherrill started it to some degree, that's fine, I'm not going to argue with that. But Mullen is doing it. That benefits Mississippi State in the long run. He has done a great job here. There are real shortcomings and disadvantages at State, that is simply a fact. I don't know why we're hesitant to acknowledge that.

Mississippi State is not going to get credit for creating its own success until multiple coaches come in here and win, you're right. And why wouldn't that be the case? We have a poor history. Then Sherrill came in, was a little up and down but then starting building something, then it completely crashed and burned. Then Croom came in and won nothing. Then Mullen came in and he is now building something. Why would someone from the national media look at that situation and think, 'Well, it's Mississippi State, of course Mullen has been able to have success'?

I just don't know why we get so defensive over stuff like this. It is a very positive tweet for us...because Mullen is currently our coach.

We shouldn't be defensive but I don't have a problem with people pointing out that we are not a bad job anymore. We actually have a lot of resources, a good recruiting ground, good facilities, etc. We used to be a difficult job because we didn't have a lot of resources and competed against schools with a lot of resources. Now we have a lot of resources, but we compete against other schools with a lot of resources and a few with a shit ton of resources.

If you want to build a good team, we are what, a top 30-35 place to do it? If you want to play 8 games a year where you have an advantage over the opponent, a couple of games a year where you're eqaual, and then only be outmatched a couple of games a year, then a lot of places like say NC St. or Maryland start to look as good or better.

[1bigdawg]

[QUOTE=MetEdDawg;790609]There isn't a good team out there that has a bad OL. You can have a serviceable OL and be successful, which is something we've done, but you can't be below average, and right now that's where we are with that unit. Same thing for WR's. We are way below average in that area and we all know that position, along with OL, is probably the difference between this team talking about 7-8 wins and talking about 9-10 wins. Give us the WR core from 2 years ago and this team wins 8 games easily.


I am not convinced we will have a bad OL this year. We have the most talented and deep OL since Mullen has been here. We will see if the legend of Hev as a great coach is real.
(None of this is to excuse only having one HS recruit show up for a group that starts 5 guys.)

[1bigdawg]

The problem with Mullen is that, while he is an exceptional coach, it's difficult for most ADs to sell a 6-8 win coach from MSU as their programs savior & then pay that 6-8 win coach 4 mil +.

And... Mullen already makes $5MM per year. He won't leave for less that $7MM at this point because his ego won't let him. Therefore, he will be here for a long time, for better or worse.

[preachermatt83]

Also Snyder and Patterson are in the same situation as Mullen only they have built their programs longer. MSU is a better job than either KSU or TCU. We have had sporadic success through out our history. Mullen is building a foundation of consistency. It took Bobby Bowden a while to build FSU into where they are now. It took him a long time to finally win a National Title and now Jimbo has them as a top 5-10 program every year along with another National Title. Clemson has also been building toward what they have now for quite a while. If you want it quick then get Hugh Freeze. He was able to get UNM into a Peach Bowl and Sugar Bowl after only a couple of years of their program being in the shitter.

That is your 2 choices: slow build with Mullen or quick with Freeze. We see what going quick does for your program. Most corrupt program in college football history.
Amen!!

[Howboutdemdogs]

State is an easy target for the media to use as a crutch or a punching bag. It sucks but it is true. They rather act surprise than go out on a limb and predict a heck of a season for us. Fits their comfort zone to stay with the Blue Bloods.

[Johnson85]

[QUOTE=MetEdDawg;790609]There isn't a good team out there that has a bad OL. You can have a serviceable OL and be successful, which is something we've done, but you can't be below average, and right now that's where we are with that unit. Same thing for WR's. We are way below average in that area and we all know that position, along with OL, is probably the difference between this team talking about 7-8 wins and talking about 9-10 wins. Give us the WR core from 2 years ago and this team wins 8 games easily.


I am not convinced we will have a bad OL this year. We have the most talented and deep OL since Mullen has been here. We will see if the legend of Hev as a great coach is real.
(None of this is to excuse only having one HS recruit show up for a group that starts 5 guys.)

Deep? We converted our best guard to play Center. We have a RS Fr starting at RT. The only injury we could have thath wouldn't be disastrous is that assuming Williams is healthy, we have three serviceable OGs in Calhoun, Williams, and Story. If we have an adequate backup center (which I think is questionable considering we put Jenkins there), then maybe we could manage an injury to Reese by moving Jenkins to RT.

I'm cautiously optimistic that our OL will be ok, but we don't seem to have any depth and are probably screwed if Rankin, Jenkins, or Reese gets hurt.

[AusTexDawg]

I just can't believe Rece said anything complimentary about anything related to MSU. I guess it's possible he could've said something nice during the run in 2014, but dang if I remember...the snark is too strong in that one***

[The Federalist Engineer]

You're right, MS is not less. Rutgers, Memphis, and Temple are less. MSU offers a fine education and a beautiful campus. Ever been to Baltimore, St Louis, or New Orleans? Hell, you go to down town Minneapolis, it looks like Mogadishu. You even have angry Somalians eye balling the Americans

[Bothrops]

I'm not sure Mullen would be the answer to ND's problems, and I don't think Mullen would leave us for A&M, unless he wanted a significant pay raise, first and foremost. Unless we do shitty this year and he still gets one of those offers, i think he stays and builds his qb dynasty.

[Tbonewannabe]

I'm not sure Mullen would be the answer to ND's problems, and I don't think Mullen would leave us for A&M, unless he wanted a significant pay raise, first and foremost. Unless we do shitty this year and he still gets one of those offers, i think he stays and builds his qb dynasty.

Does the SEC still have the "no poaching other coaches" rule? I can't remember a coach that went from one SEC head coaching gig to the other except Nutt and he let go at Ark before UM hired him. Notre Dame might be another matter but they haven't paid a head coach as much as Mullen makes now. I guess they might but we will just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. I think now that UM is actually going down for all the bullshit Mullen has had to put up with, he might be more content to stay and build his program. If we establish ourselves as THE university for the entire State of Mississippi then we can compete with just about anyone. Dan could also leave his footprint on MSU as the builder of our program similar to how Bowden, Beemer, and Snyder are the architects of their universities' programs. Does he want a statue of himself outside the stadium similar to other great coaches or does he want to be "one of many" great coaches at somewhere like Notre Dame?

[Johnson85]

Watch out for Texas A&M or Notre Dame this year. I want them to win - b/c Mullen would take those 2 jobs. It would suck if we lose Mullen the year that Freeze gets hammered.

You may have personal knowledge, but I'm just not sure Notre Dame would be a threat unless Mullen is just personally infatuated with Notre Dame. They have the expectations of a blue blood without the built in advantages, unless something changes in their attitude they're not going to open the checkbook to give Mullen a raise. Maybe Mullen thinks with his ability to develop QBs he could be a savior to Notre Dame, but it doesn't seem like an obvious place he'd want to go.

A&M would be able to open the checkbook and is in theory a sleeping giant, so that would make a little more sense.

I think Mullen's willigness to listen to Miami makes me think he would be open to moving to a lot of places provided they pay him, but there aren't a lot of places that will pay more than us and for many of them, they're not going to throw money at him unless he has another 10 win season.

[Commercecomet24]

So one of the biggest national names in CFB says our coach is knocking on the door of the top 5 in the country, and says that a large part of the reason is because he has been able to elevate a program that has historically not been very good (which is an entirely correct statement), and now we're upset? Because we think he should be doing even better?

It takes time to build a program. A lot of time. Mullen is in the process of doing it, and if you want to argue that Sherrill started it to some degree, that's fine, I'm not going to argue with that. But Mullen is doing it. That benefits Mississippi State in the long run. He has done a great job here. There are real shortcomings and disadvantages at State, that is simply a fact. I don't know why we're hesitant to acknowledge that.

Mississippi State is not going to get credit for creating its own success until multiple coaches come in here and win, you're right. And why wouldn't that be the case? We have a poor history. Then Sherrill came in, was a little up and down but then starting building something, then it completely crashed and burned. Then Croom came in and won nothing. Then Mullen came in and he is now building something. Why would someone from the national media look at that situation and think, 'Well, it's Mississippi State, of course Mullen has been able to have success'?

I just don't know why we get so defensive over stuff like this. It is a very positive tweet for us...because Mullen is currently our coach.

+1000! Excellent perspective and post! And remember we have folks that bitch about the national media not giving us any credit and now we have one of the big guns giving us props and we gonna complain? Smh

[Commercecomet24]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1947 Ed Williamson 1 0–5 .000
1948–1952 Don Veller 5 31–12–1 .716
1953–1958 Tom Nugent 6 34–28–1 .548
1959 Perry Moss 1 4–6 .400
1960–1970 Bill Peterson 11 62–42–11 .587
1971–1973 Larry Jones 3 15–19 .441
1974–1975 Darrell Mudra 2 4–18 .182
1976–2009 Bobby Bowden 34 304–97–4^ .758
2010–present Jimbo Fisher 7 78–17 .821
Totals 9 coaches 70 seasons 532–244–17 .682
^ Bobby Bowden's record does not include 12 wins that were vacated that would otherwise make his record 316–97–4.

I know the chart is crap, but the point is that FSU was a crap program before Bobby B came along. It takes time, the right coach, and then some luck. I believe we have the right coach, we are working on 7+ wins per year average and looks like we may get a little "luck" from the NCAA to help us on our way. These things don't happen overnight, even with a 'beautiful campus".

This is correct. Before Bowden FSU was mediocre at best. They were playing in front of a half full stadium and even talked about dropping to D2 but then Bowden happened and it didn't happen overnight. I remember us stomping a mud hole in them in Bowden first or second year. Beat em like 55-14 or something to that effect.
It does take time.

[CadaverDawg]

Yeah, sorry - 7.625 per season with Bowls; 7 if you don't count bowls.

So, he is winning on average, between 7-8 games a season if you count bowls, but dead on 7 if you don't.

Yep. Shut the **** up, Smootness

[dawgs]

Where Mullen may "break out" is after saban retires. As long as saban is at bama, it's going to be hard to consistently win big in the west. But once saban retires, bama is going to become more vulnerable. We just need Mullen to still be in Starkville and we need him to continue to slowly continue building the program. Outside of bama, we have the most stable program in the west. Still no one really knows if malzahn is an ok coach or a very good coach that may develop into a great coach, coach o is coach o, we don't have to worry about OM for awhile, sumlin is on the hot seat at a&I'm (who've always struggled to find the right coach for a program with their kinda resources), and Bert is kinda on the hot seat with Arkansas, plus we have more inherent advantages than Arkansas. So if saban decides to walk away in the next few years before some of the other west programs get more stability, there's an opportunity there for Mullen to strike big in a post-saban void.

[maroonmania]

So one of the biggest national names in CFB says our coach is knocking on the door of the top 5 in the country, and says that a large part of the reason is because he has been able to elevate a program that has historically not been very good (which is an entirely correct statement), and now we're upset? Because we think he should be doing even better?

It takes time to build a program. A lot of time. Mullen is in the process of doing it, and if you want to argue that Sherrill started it to some degree, that's fine, I'm not going to argue with that. But Mullen is doing it. That benefits Mississippi State in the long run. He has done a great job here. There are real shortcomings and disadvantages at State, that is simply a fact. I don't know why we're hesitant to acknowledge that.

Mississippi State is not going to get credit for creating its own success until multiple coaches come in here and win, you're right. And why wouldn't that be the case? We have a poor history. Then Sherrill came in, was a little up and down but then starting building something, then it completely crashed and burned. Then Croom came in and won nothing. Then Mullen came in and he is now building something. Why would someone from the national media look at that situation and think, 'Well, it's Mississippi State, of course Mullen has been able to have success'?

I just don't know why we get so defensive over stuff like this. It is a very positive tweet for us...because Mullen is currently our coach.

I'm certainly good with Mullen but I can't take seriously a tweet saying he is knocking on the door of a Top 5 coach in the country when he goes 5-7 in year 8 of his coaching tenure at the same school. Just sayin'.