Dan Mullen

[thall_]

At Miss State, takes over a 4 win team and has them at 9 win by year 2 in the brutally tough SEC West. Tenure includes numerous wins over top 15 opponents and even a #1 ranking for 4 weeks in 2014.

At Florida, took over a 4 win team, immediately gets them 10 wins, including a dominant bowl game win against the Michigan team that pummeled Nebraska in Frost's first year.

gets fired in the same season he lost to Alabama by 2 with a literal who at QB. administration had clearly turned on him halfway through the season which led to a downward spiral.

even his 8-4 season is deceptive when you look at the losses:

Texas A&M - 3 point loss against an A&M team that would only lose to eventual national champion Alabama

LSU - another 3 point loss featuring the bizarre "cleat toss" penalty

Alabama (SEC Championship Game) - 6 point loss to one of the best Alabama teams of all time. An impressive performance by both teams

Oklahoma - blowout loss, though worth noting that a ton of Florida's starters didn't even play in order to focus on draft preparation.

Personally, I think Florida still expects Urban Meyer levels of success, and they got a little too cocky.

 

[oldjar07]

He finished in the top 15 3 of 4 years at Florida. He has one of the best offensive minds in the game at any level. Mullen would be a homerun hire and there's a reason I have him right behind Urban at the top of the list.

 

[Meanfarmer3160]

He finished in the top 15 3 of 4 years at Florida. He has one of the best offensive minds in the game at any level. Mullen would be a homerun hire and there's a reason I have him right behind Urban at the top of the list.

Why did he flame out at Florida?

 

[thall_]

Why did he flame out at Florida?

because they expect to be in the playoffs, but have an impossibly tough path to getting there.

 

[Meanfarmer3160]

because they expect to be in the playoffs, but have an impossibly tough path to getting there.

No worries about that here now.

 

[oldjar07]

Why did he flame out at Florida?

He didn't as far as I'm concerned and wasn't given a fair shake. He was already on a very hot seat going into his last season, and that alone puts undue pressure on the team to perform. As was mentioned in the OP, even some of his losses were impressive against very good teams. The Florida fan base is nuts, I wouldn't put that on Mullen.

 

[thall_]

He didn't as far as I'm concerned and wasn't given a fair shake. He was already on a very hot seat going into his last season, and that alone puts undue pressure on the team to perform. As was mentioned in the OP, even some of his losses were impressive against very good teams. The Florida fan base is nuts, I wouldn't put that on Mullen.

he also lost his star QB from the previous year.

obviously, a coach shouldn't be reliant on a single player, but I believe most reasonable fans recognize that there are bound to be mini-rebuild years, of which he was afforded none.

his trajectory is very similar to Harbaugh's, and Michigan fans were wanting him fired years ago. obviously, they're very glad he wasn't at this point.

 

[ckriley]

Eh, I've said this before but I remain highly skeptical of guys who couldn't make it in talent rich areas like USC, Texas and Florida. You can trip over 10 5-stars in the regions of those schools.

 

[thall_]

Eh, I've said this before but I remain highly skeptical of guys who couldn't make it in talent rich areas like USC, Texas and Florida. You can trip over 10 5-stars in the regions of those schools.

I agree, but I feel like Dan Mullen was successful.

he's not Saban, but I'd definitely take him over guys like O'Brien and Campbell.

 

[king_kong_]

I agree, but I feel like Dan Mullen was successful.

he's not Saban, but I'd definitely take him over guys like O'Brien and Campbell.

Nobody here is surprised to see you opt for the term “I feel” over the term “I think”, brainless

 

[glaciersx]

Nobody here is surprised to see you opt for the term “I feel” over the term “I think”, brainless

That's ironic because you sound like OP hurt your feelings.

 

[king_kong_]

That's ironic because you sound like OP hurt your feelings.

Says the person who goes out of his way to disagree with everything I say

ironic, indeed

if you want to make out just DM me

 

[glaciersx]

Says the person who goes out of his way to disagree with everything I say

ironic, indeed

if you want to make out just DM me

I don't even know you, but get well soon!

 

[thall_]

Nobody here is surprised to see you opt for the term “I feel” over the term “I think”, brainless

lol

 

[glaciersx]

lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_burn_centers_in_the_United_States

 

[king_kong_]

Another long delay caused by @thall_‘s inability to work this very simple website

we’re all waiting on baited breath for your very clever reaction!

 

[thall_]

Not once will you see the phrase “I feel like…”

Another long delay caused by @thall_‘s inability to work this very simple website

we’re all waiting on baited breath for your very clever reaction!

so emotional he's counting down the seconds to my responses lmao

and since you're so knotted up in semantics, the term you're looking for is "with bated breath"

https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/pardon-the-expression/bated-breath-vs-baited-breath/

 

[Redmich]

There was innuendo that his firing went well beyond the record in his 4th year

lack of motivation
Team quit
Other unmentionables “that wouldn’t be fair to all parties to get into”

i got a little bit of a frost vibe (although much more successful in his dysfunction) when reading through things

even Herbstreit who isn’t one to call for coaches to lose their jobs understood the firing - very few in college insiders were surprised that he got fired which just looking at his overall record seems odd if just the 5-6 record was the issue

a few red flags

 

[Cedric_rivals191091]

At Miss State, takes over a 4 win team and has them at 9 win by year 2 in the brutally tough SEC West. Tenure includes numerous wins over top 15 opponents and even a #1 ranking for 4 weeks in 2014.

At Florida, took over a 4 win team, immediately gets them 10 wins, including a dominant bowl game win against the Michigan team that pummeled Nebraska in Frost's first year.

gets fired in the same season he lost to Alabama by 2 with a literal who at QB. administration had clearly turned on him halfway through the season which led to a downward spiral.

even his 8-4 season is deceptive when you look at the losses:

Texas A&M - 3 point loss against an A&M team that would only lose to eventual national champion Alabama

LSU - another 3 point loss featuring the bizarre "cleat toss" penalty

Alabama (SEC Championship Game) - 6 point loss to one of the best Alabama teams of all time. An impressive performance by both teams

Oklahoma - blowout loss, though worth noting that a ton of Florida's starters didn't even play in order to focus on draft preparation.

Personally, I think Florida still expects Urban Meyer levels of success, and they got a little too cocky.

Mullen is also one of the good guys. Trev is looking for good character, and Mullen fits the bill. He could have had a national championship at MSU had he agreed to pay Cam Newton the same amount as Auburn did (remember, Mullen was Cam's QB coach at Florida before Newton got kicked out of UF) but he refused to pay. I'd love to see Mullen hired at NU

 

[Cedric_rivals191091]

Mullen is also one of the good guys. Trev is looking for good character, and Mullen fits the bill. He could have had a national championship at Florida had he agreed to pay Cam Newton the same amount as Auburn did (remember, Mullen was Cam's QB coach at Florida before Newton got kicked out of UF) but he refused to pay. I'd love to see Mullen hired at NU

I should add -- when Mullen was HC at Miss State, his WR coach became aware of a booster paying a star DB. That coach did not report the matter. When Mullen found out, he immediately fired the WR coach, a young up-and-comer who was a good coach and not a bad guy. Mullen felt terrible dismissing him, but felt he had to do it.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

I should add -- when Mullen was HC at Miss State, his WR coach became aware of a booster paying a star DB. That coach did not report the matter. When Mullen found out, he immediately fired the WR coach, a young up-and-comer who was a good coach and not a bad guy. Mullen felt terrible dismissing him, but felt he had to do it.

 

[SRURock24]

At Miss State, takes over a 4 win team and has them at 9 win by year 2 in the brutally tough SEC West. Tenure includes numerous wins over top 15 opponents and even a #1 ranking for 4 weeks in 2014.

At Florida, took over a 4 win team, immediately gets them 10 wins, including a dominant bowl game win against the Michigan team that pummeled Nebraska in Frost's first year.

gets fired in the same season he lost to Alabama by 2 with a literal who at QB. administration had clearly turned on him halfway through the season which led to a downward spiral.

even his 8-4 season is deceptive when you look at the losses:

Texas A&M - 3 point loss against an A&M team that would only lose to eventual national champion Alabama

LSU - another 3 point loss featuring the bizarre "cleat toss" penalty

Alabama (SEC Championship Game) - 6 point loss to one of the best Alabama teams of all time. An impressive performance by both teams

Oklahoma - blowout loss, though worth noting that a ton of Florida's starters didn't even play in order to focus on draft preparation.

Personally, I think Florida still expects Urban Meyer levels of success, and they got a little too cocky.

Mullen is a quality coach on the field, no doubt but one of the narratives out of Florida that lead to his demise was that he was getting out worked and outhustled on the recruiting trail. Now maybe he would come in reenergized but that would not be a good trait at a place like Nebraska.

 

[WHCSC]

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

Watched the whole thang....Mullen seems like a solid second tier guy, but he isn't the answer here.

 

[Redscarlet]

NO to Mullen..

 

[mgbreeze]

Why did Mullen "fail" at Florida? Now come on, do we really need an explanation of how psychotic fans, boosters with 100x money vs football knowledge, and moronic power-hungry AD's run winning football coaches out of town?

Florida was dumb to fire him. Period.

 

[Headcard]

Why did Mullen "fail" at Florida? Now come on, do we really need an explanation of how psychotic fans, boosters with 100x money vs football knowledge, and moronic power-hungry AD's run winning football coaches out of town?

Florida was dumb to fire him. Period.

Same with Herman at Texas.

 

[mgbreeze]

Same with Herman at Texas.

100%

 

[Redmich]

Same with Herman at Texas.

I think Mullen will want another head coach gig - although I am surprised at how little you have heard his name come up

Herman may be open to an off coord stint as a way to enhance his future head coaching prospects

 

[mgbreeze]

Maybe Mullen will be next on the UCF wheel of fortune.

 

[WHCSC]

Why did Mullen "fail" at Florida? Now come on, do we really need an explanation of how psychotic fans, boosters with 100x money vs football knowledge, and moronic power-hungry AD's run winning football coaches out of town?

Florida was dumb to fire him. Period.

You just described Nebraska except for the AD part maybe

 

[mgbreeze]

You just described Nebraska except for the AD part maybe

I actually think I described every P5 school for the most part.

 

[litespeedhuskerfan_rivals19671]

Being in the B1G is a blessing and a curse...it is a blessing because we could afford to hire anyone and pay them, anything.

Now look back at Callahan, Pelini, Frost, to a lesser extent Riley, 3/4 of those guys wanted gone well before they were fired, but they can't quit or they lose the guaranteed money, so we get grown men acting like idiots and setting the program back. To this day I believe Pelini almost wanted to lose against Iowa when he ran the fake punt, while staring at a defense that was prepared for it because, they had their defense on the field....so he was "saying screw you, I hold all the cards". same for Callahan, did you see his pressers at the end? So while Mullen and Rhule and others would probably take the lottery ticket, because that is what big time CFB jobs are now, if they aren't having any success by year 3 and the fans start to turn, we're going to rinse and repeat. That is why MJ is getting the benefit of the doubt now IMO, because he is the only guy on the list who isn't doing it just for the money....at least in our minds anyway.

 

[Matrix Husker]

Same with Herman at Texas.

And to a certain degree, Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. He never had a losing season and was fired in his third season, for not winning enough at a blueblood school.

 

[Redmich]

And to a certain degree, Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. He never had a losing season and was fired in his third season, for not winning enough at a blueblood school.

Rich Rod in his 3 seasons had the following big ten records

2 -6
1 -7
3 -5

no self respecting football program - especially a blue blood - gives someone with that record a 4th year

 

[mgbreeze]

Rich Rod in his 3 seasons had the following big ten records

2 -6
1 -7
3 -5

no self respecting football program - especially a blue blood - gives someone with that record a 4th year

I see what you did there.

 

[Spartanhusker]

I agree, but I feel like Dan Mullen was successful.

he's not Saban, but I'd definitely take him over guys like O'Brien and Campbell.

this

 

[realHuskerDrew]

Mullen can coach, no doubt. What would be his ceiling here? Who knows. Does it remotely seem like he’s on the radar right now, no.
Frankly, it seems like it will be Leipold because other big names just won’t come to Nebraska

It will be a long 5 weeks waiting for any kind of real news

 

[Matrix Husker]

Rich Rod in his 3 seasons had the following big ten records

2 -6
1 -7
3 -5

no self respecting football program - especially a blue blood - gives someone with that record a 4th year

You are right, my apologies. Was thinking about his time at West Virginia. His last season at Michigan, he was 7-6 and the fourth year could have been better, but the AD saw small incremental progress that wasn't good enough.

 

[Truewooper]

I like Dan Mullen his last year he had the bad luck of playing Georgia and Bama. 4 of his 6 losses were by 7 points or less (not looking at bowl game doubt he coached it). One of these big losses came by 2021 Georgia.

Cons: Recruiting would he be able to get kids to come here? No idea.