Relax Bulldog fans. I doubt very seriously that Dan Mullen is going to bail on the Bulldogs for the Gophers. However, it is our duty here at FWTCT to keep you informed on whats going on and unfortunately, this is a rumor that began sometime back and continues to gain momentum.
Word on the street says that its going to take at least 2 million to pull Mullen to Minnesota. A report released by USA Today last November stated that Mullen currently makes 1.2 million. Its important to note that out of all the coaches in the SEC, his salary was the lowest (Vanderbilt did not release their numbers). Having said that, Mississippi State is also his first head coaching job. I have not been able to find anything that would indicate he got a raise for his second year, but there is no question he deserves a pay increase for his third year.
Most people also see Minnesota as a step down from a head coaching job in the SEC. I would tend to agree with that. Coach Mullen has stated on more than one occasion that he and his wife Megan are very happy in Starkville. I've even heard Mullen say that there are advantages to coaching at MSU that he would not be able to have at some other schools. What he is referring to is recruiting. When Dan took the job he said that he did his research and found that Mississippi produces more NFL players per capita than any other state. He has a wealth of football talent all around him. While other coaches are traveling all over the country courting players, Mullen does all of his legwork right here at home. He is able to have dinner with his family every night. These are things that he has publicly stated are important to him.
Of course, I'm also aware that money talks.
AD Scott Stricklin discussed the increased speculation that other schools were beginning to eye Mullen pretty hard. He stated that MSU was going to be "smart and aggressive with our coaching staff moving forward".
Thats great to hear Mr. Stricklin. Now please get aggressive with keeping Coach Mullen around as long as possible.