STARKVILLE — If it is possible to ruin nine years in the span of 10 hours, Dan Mullen might have done it.
Mullen, who was introduced as Florida’s new football coach Monday after leaving the same position at Mississippi State, leaves in his wake a divided MSU fan base. Plenty of those fans still will be angry Sept. 29, 2018, when Florida plays MSU at Davis Wade Stadium.
On Monday, many of the more than one dozen MSU fans that spoke with The Dispatch about Mullen’s departure expressed significant anger over the events.
“To start with, Florida fans are spoiled. Dan will be out of there and coaching a Conference USA team in three years, tops,” Jes Utley said. “I think we all misjudged Dan’s character. I’m appreciative of what he’s done for the program. But he let the team find out on Twitter and he’s wrong for that. His only mention of State so far has been ‘good luck in the future’ while he and (Florida Athletic Director, MSU alum and former MSU Director of Athletics Scott) Stricklin snatched our entire coaching staff and at least one commit so far.
“That being said, I wish Dan the best. But I’ll be laughing over here quietly when Florida fans chase him out of town because they’re sick of seeing him run up the middle on every play and screwing up the play calling in the biggest moments of the game, and he still hasn’t won them the conference.”
Utley was referring to the events of Sunday, Mullen’s final day as MSU’s coach, when rumors and reports started to circulate hours before Florida announced its hiring of Mullen. MSU players seeing the developments on Twitter sent out cryptic tweets, including the following from offensive lineman Deion Calhoun, “Now @CoachDanMullen you told me you wasn’t leaving what’s the word?”
In Mullen’s introductory news conference in Gainesville Monday afternoon, he said, “I was very fortunate, and I want to thank everybody at Mississippi State University for the opportunity they gave me there. It was a great administration, great athletic director, great president, great people, and a great community there that really embraced me, and moving forward, I hope they continue to have the success that was built up over the last several years.”
Most of the fans The Dispatch spoke to appreciated Mullen’s efforts and time in Starkville. On Sunday, MSU will learn its destination for its program-record eighth-consecutive bowl game. Mullen’s 69 wins left him six behind program leader Jackie Sherrill. Of the three MSU senior classes with the most wins in program history, two of them came under Mullen’s watch.
Yet, the details of Mullen’s departure soured that legacy for some MSU fans.
“I loved Dan, as most MSU fans did,” Brandon Day said. “But to straight up lie to players, and for his wife to go on record and trash UF and the fans and then go there for more money. That’s ridiculous.”
As Don Mouledoux of Olive Branch put it, “At first, I was sad and not mad. But as time passes I am more and more pissed. Mullen seems to have totally blown off his former players, as evidenced by him changing his cell number and becoming basically unreachable.”
Other fans appear to be ready to give Mullen what he helped the program accomplish in nine years.
“I hate that it seems he didn’t inform the players beforehand, but he deserves respect for making the program relevant,” MSU student Jacob Manley said. “I’m not one to get angry about someone chasing an (arguably) better job. It’s not like he destroyed the program. The cupboard isn’t bare.”
MSU has signed two five-star recruits and more than three four-star recruits per class since 2010, while MSU signed zero five stars and two four-star recruits per class from 2005 to 2008.
To Jackson’s Andy Chapman, the summation of the Mullen era is simple: He left if better than he found it, and that’s more than enough.
“Mullen is the guy you want to borrow your mower,” he said. “It wouldn’t crank and had dull blades. He returns it full of gas, new air filter and sharpened blades. Can’t be mad about that. Wish he would have cut the grass one more year, but hey, John Cohen can find a guy. We could be in much worse shape.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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