Coach Mullen placed a lot of emphasis on having a great turnout for his first spring game, even mentioning it at his introduction as head coach.

The opponent for that weekend will be Kentucky, which sets up another great storyline for the weekend. New baseball head coach John Cohen was hired away from Kentucky after the departure of Ron Polk last summer.

I had already booked a hotel room for the original Super Bulldog Weekend, so now I am scrambling to cancel it and hope that I can get a reservation for the new weekend.

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Heath Hutchins led the nation in punting in 2008 with an average of 46.1 yards and a long of 69 yards. Hutchins has played at Itawamba Community College and is a native of Saltillo, MS.

Maurice Langston of East Central Community College was named 1st All Region as a wide receiver and return specialist and led all players in the Mississippi Junior College ranks in touchdowns scored.

On the defensive side of the ball, Chris White of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community college totaled 103 regular season tackles, 49 of those were solo tackles. White is a native of Vancleave, MS and played JUCO ball at Gulf Coast CC.

I think bringing in some JUCO players will help add some depth to our team right away so that Coach Mullen can work on building a better team for the future.

All three of these players are expected to enroll at MSU by January 5th and participate in spring practices.

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The Gators may go with a play-calling-by-committee with head coach Urban Meyer, wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales and offensive line coach Steve Addazio working together to call the offense.

This is great news for Mississippi State, where Mullen is working quickly to build his staff and retain much of the recruiting class that Sylvester Croom had already built.

Mullen has dismissed 3 on-field assistants (Campbell, Grimes and Washington) and hired UNA head coach Mark Hudspeth to join his staff in some capacity, although it is unclear what role he will play. Expect announcements today.

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Here are some coaching highlights from Hudpseth’s career:

• In his first six seasons at UNA, Hudspeth has posted the best record of any previous Lion head coach in their first seven years - leading the Lions to a 66-20 mark, two Gulf South Conference titles and five NCAA Division II playoff appearances, including the Division II Semi-Finals three times.
• Hudspeth served as the head coach at Winston Academy in Louisville, Mississippi from 1996 to 1998. He led Winston Academy to a 25-1 record over two seasons including an undefeated record in the regular season (20-0) and the conference (12-0). In 1997 he won the state championship with a perfect 14-0 record and his team led the state in scoring that year. He was named Mississippi Coach of the Year in 1997. He won conference championships in 1996 and 1997.
• Hudspeth was named Mississippi Coach of the Year in 1997 while coaching Winston Academy in Louisville, MS. He led Winston Academy to a 25-1 record over two seasons including an undefeated record in the regular season (20-0) and the conference (12-0). In 1997 he won the state championship with a perfect 14-0 record and his team led the state in scoring that year. He was named Mississippi Coach of the Year in 1997. He won conference championships in 1996 and 1997.
• He served as the offensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coach at Delta State University from 1999-2000. He helped lead the Statesmen to a Gulf South Conference Championship as well as an NCAA Division II National Championship in 2000. His offense broke 21 school records, 12 Gulf South Conference records, and six NCAA Division II records that year. The offense was led by Conerly Trophy winner Josh Bright.

You can get a more in-depth look at the newest member of the Bulldog staff at CoachHud.com.

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The TimesDaily.com website is says that University of North Alabama officials were awaiting a resignation letter from Hudspeth Saturday night, but the resignation was confirmed by at least one UNA staff member.

Defensive coordinator Karl Morgan, who was in Louisiana, said Hudspeth called Friday to tell him he was interviewing for the Mississippi State position, and later heard from other staff members that Hudspeth was leaving.

Hudspeth will likely be in charge of the passing game at Mississippi State as well as coach wide receivers. He has recently led the UNA Lions to the Division II semifinals and a 12-2 record in 2008. He has also interviewed recently at UT-Chattanooga.

In seven seasons, Hudspeth was 66-21 at UNA.

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Coach Dan Mullen on WJOX

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This photo surfaced from today’s press conference. They are images of our new football helmets, returning to the Maroon helmet with a white MState logo. This image is from the user kdwman at Photobucket.com. Click the photo to see a larger image.

FYI, if you are the owner of this image, contact us so we can give you proper credit.

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• Contract is 4 years at $1.2 million a year.
• It is undecided whether he will stay with Florida through the National Championship game.
• He plans to implement the spread offense and taylor the offense to the talent and players at Mississippi State.
• He has met with a few of the current staff members and will meet the rest soon and make changes where necessary.
• He and Greg did not talk at all until Monday night.
• They met for the first time face-to-face Tuesday night around 9pm in Atlanta and talked until about 3am Wednesday morning.
• Dan Mullen was the first person to get an offer for the job.

Now that the Starkville events are done for the day, Coach Mullen begins his tour of the state, starting with a press conference in Tupelo, then on to Meridian and finally to the MS Sports Hall Of Fame in Jackson this evening.

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Dan Mullen, MSU Head Coach

Former Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen has been named the new head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Mullen was introduced today at a press conference by Athletics Director Greg Byrne. Mullen has been with Florida coach Urban Meyer at all of his head coaching stops, including Bowling Green and Utah. The Florida offense is first in the SEC and third nationally in scoring. They beat #1 Alabama to win the SEC Championship Game and a spot in the National Championship Game against Oklahoma.

Mullen is a native of Manchester, NH. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from Ursinus College in 1994 and a Master’s Degree from Wagner College in 1996. He has been in college coaching since 1994, holding positions at Syracuse, Notre Dame, Bowling Green, Utah and Florida.

Here is his full Coaching History:

2005-Present
Florida (Offensive Coordinator; Quarterbacks)

2003-04
Utah (Quarterbacks)

2001-02
Bowling Green (Quarterbacks)

1999-00
Notre Dame (Graduate Assistant Offense)

1998
Syracuse (Graduate Assistant Offense)

1996-97
Columbia (Wide Receivers)

1994-95
Wagner (Wide Receivers)

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Here is the schedule:

• 10 a.m. - Starkville - Templeton Athletic Academic Center (Mississippi State Campus and available free on maroon to the max)
• 3 p.m. - Tupelo - The Summit Center
• 6 p.m. - Meridian - Kahlmus Auditorium (MSU-Meridian Campus)
• 8 p.m. - Jackson - Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame

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Full coverage of the 10 a.m. CT pep rally introducing the new Bulldog mentor will be carried, as well as the media press conference that will follow at approximately 10:45 a.m. CT (start time contingent on length of first stream).

You will need Windows Media Player to watch the streams.

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Here is his schedule for the official announcements tomorrow:

• 10 a.m. – Starkville – Templeton Athletic Academic Center (Mississippi State Campus)
• 3 p.m. – Tupelo – The Summit Center
• 6 p.m. – Meridian – Kahlmus Auditorium (MSU-Meridian Campus)
• 8 p.m. – Jackson – Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame

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Mullen will be officially introduced at a press event tomorrow, December 11 on campus.

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Here is a look at Dan Mullen according to the Florida Gators website:

Coaching Experience:

• 2005-Present: Florida (Offensive Coordinator; Quarterbacks)
• 2003-04 Utah (Quarterbacks)
• 2001-02 Bowling Green (Quarterbacks)
• 1999-00 Notre Dame (Graduate Assistant Offense)
• 1998 Syracuse (Graduate Assistant Offense)
• 1996-97 Columbia (Wide Receivers)
• 1994-95 Wagner (Wide Receivers)

Coaching Accomplishments

• 14 years of collegiate coaching experience.
• Called the plays for an offense in 2007 that ranked first in the SEC and third nationally in scoring, averaging 42.5 points per game; also ranked first in the league in total offense, averaging 457.2 yards per game.
• Directed the Gator offense to the second-highest point total ever by a UF unit and the top single season marks for rushing touchdowns (39) and third-down conversion percentage (53.4)
• Orchestrated a UF attack that was the only one in the nation to have rushed for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown in every game in 2007; UF has passed for a touchdown and rushed for a touchdown in 24 straight games)
• Helped UF score on 83 of 152 drives in 2007 for a league-best 54.6 percent, marking the best number since the stat was tracked by the SEC in 2000.
• Led the Florida offense to an average of 200.2 yards of rushing per game and a single season school-record 39 touchdowns on the ground.
• Florida also averaged 7.0 yards per play this year, the fourth-best total in the nation and the Gators averaged 5.3 yards per rush, the second-best number in school history.
• The Gators were 78-of-146 on third-down conversions, ranking first in the nation in 2007.
• Molded sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow into a Heisman Trophy winner, Maxwell and Davey O’Brien award winner and AP first team All-American among other honors.
• Florida’s offense scored 75 touchdowns during the season, tops in the SEC and nine more than second-place LSU; scored a staggering 75.34 percent touchdowns while in the red-zone, first the conference.
• Tutored six offensive players to the All-SEC team: Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Cornelius Ingram, Brandon James, Jim Tartt and Drew Miller.
• Played an integral role in Florida’s second national championship, overseeing an offense that averaged 29.7 points and 396.1 yards per game. The Gators were 13-1 overall and also claimed their seventh SEC title.
• Engineered an offense that produced 41 points in Tostitos BCS National Championship Game against a top-ranked Ohio State squad that was limiting opponents to 10.4 points per game. Chris Leak opened the contest by going 9-for-9 for 99 yards and a touchdown.
• UF had 66 plays of 20-or-more yards through 13 games in ‘07 (19 runs and 47 receptions), 17 of which went for touchdowns.
• The Gators passed for 32 touchdowns last year after 29 scoring tosses the previous season.
• Chris Leak was among the national leaders in touchdown passes with 23 and Tim Tebow’s 5.3-yard rushing average was second-nationally among quarterbacks. Tebow led Florida with eight rushing scores as a true freshman, matching the school record by a QB.
• Seven different players averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry last season: Percy Harvin, Cameron Newton, Brandon James, Kestahn Moore, Markus Manson, Louis Murphy and Chris Rainey
• Helped to develop the talents of Percy Harvin, the SEC Freshman of the Year, Sporting News’ SEC Offensive Freshman of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Championship Game.
• Produced a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award (nation’s top receiver) in Chad Jackson and the Rimington Trophy (nation’s top center) in Mike Degory. Both were tabbed All-SEC first-team by the Associated Press in 2005.
• In his first year as offensive coordinator, UF wide receiver Chad Jackson matched the UF single-season reception record held by Carlos Alvarez (88 receptions). Jackson led the SEC and finished sixth nationally.
• Florida quarterbacks threw just seven interceptions in 2005, which was one per every 49.2 pass attempts. The total ranked as the best in school history and ninth nationally. In addition, Florida completed 62.8 percent of its passes, which tied for the fourth-highest total in school history.
• The 2005 UF offense faced five of the nation’s top 20 ranked total defenses and averaged 28.5 points per game. The total ranked sixth among the 23 NCAA Division I-A schools with a first-year coaching staff.
• Florida was the only school in the SEC to score 49 points or more against a league opponent in two games during the 2005 season (at Kentucky and vs. Vanderbilt). The Gators’ 49 points in the first half of the UK game were the most points UF has ever scored in the first half versus a SEC opponent in school history.
• Directed Alex Smith’s transition from a pure drop-back passer into a fine spread offense quarterback while at Utah. Smith put up big numbers in 2003, passing for 2,247 yards and running for 452 yards after taking over the starting job three games into the season. He finished second in the league in total offense, averaging 245.4 yards per game.
• In 2004, Smith was Utah’s first-ever Heisman Trophy finalist and was also named The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year. He was a Davey O’Brien and Walter Camp National Player of the Year finalist. In two years, he finished in the top three in nine Utah career categories.
• Guided Smith to a pass efficiency rating of 176.5 in 2004, which ranked Smith as the second most accurate quarterback in the country.
• Helped lead Utah to a win in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl over Pittsburgh, as the Utes became the first-ever team in a non-BCS conference to receive a BCS bowl berth.
• Assisted Utah in finishing third in scoring offense (45.3) and total offense (499.8) and 19th in passing yards per game (263.7) in 2004. Additionally, the Utes had five passes intercepted, which was tied for the second-lowest total by any squad in the country.
• In two years at BGSU, Mullen’s quarterbacks powered one of the nation’s most prolific offenses by throwing for 5,145 yards and 48 touchdowns and rushing for 1,482 yards and 33 touchdowns.
• Part of the offensive staff that helped Bowling Green to finish as the nation’s third-highest scoring offense in 2003 (40.8 points per game).
• Bowling Green quarterback Josh Harris passed for 2,425 yards, rushed for 737 yards and was the nation’s third leading scorer in 2002.
• At Syracuse, he assisted in the Orangemen’s 1998 Big East championship and Orange Bowl appearance. Two years later, he went to the Fiesta Bowl with Notre Dame.

Bowl Games as a Coach

• 1999 Orange
• 2001 Fiesta
• 2003 Liberty
• 2005 Fiesta
• 2006 Outback
• 2007 BCS National Championship Game
• 2008 Capital One

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If you are into tracking flights, a plane left Starkville this morning en route to Gainesville and will be returning to Starkville this afternoon.

Looks like we will have an announcement by the end of the week at the latest.

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“Coach Spurrier called me last Monday,” Russell said. “He wanted me to come in this weekend but I’m playing in the Mississippi-Alabama All Star Game. I’ll probably take a visit there in late December or early January.”

Russell said it was former Mississippi State offensive coordinator Woody McCorvey who tipped off Spurrier about him. Spurrier got some film of Russell and apparently liked what he saw. “He said I was the type of guy they want to get in there this year,” Russell said. “They are going to take one quarterback and he indicated I’m the guy he wants.”

Tyler is also still getting interest from Alabama, but is staying verbally committed to Mississippi State. The type of coach we bring in (and his offense) would be a big deciding factor in whether Tyler comes to Starkville or not. He was contacted by AD Greg Byrne after Sylvester Croom resigned.

“He said he can’t talk about the candidates with me but he wants to get someone in there who wants to open up the offense. I’m still committed to Mississippi State but I’m waiting to see what kind of coach they get. I’m kind of open but still committed. I can’t burn any bridges because you don’t know what kind of offense the new coach will run.”

I think if the rumors are true that Kevin Wilson is a serious candidate, that would be a great step towards keeping Tyler committed. Dan Mullen at Florida would also be a good choice.

National Signing Day 2008 is February 6.

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This is really only relevant to MSU because Wilson is believed to be one of the top contenders for the Mississippi State job.

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Keep It On The Down Low

On one side, you have Greg “The Ninja” Byrne who has not divulged any official information about who is on his list of candidates, who he has spoken to, where he has travelled, etc. We know that he is using a private plane thanks to Kyle Veazey of the Clarion Ledger staking out the Starkville airport. He caught Byrne and Associate AD Scott Stricklin getting off a plane that had just arrived from Dallas.

You can look at the flight history of that plane over the past week or so and see that it has travelled to places like Atlanta, Dallas and Kansas City. We know for a fact that the plane was in Kansas City the Friday night and Saturday before the Big 12 Championship. We just don’t know who was on it.

So this has left the Bulldog nation to speculate about who Byrne is talking to and how serious those talks are.

Shout It From The Roof Tops

On the other side, you have Auburn. Since Tommy Tuberville’s “resignation”, they have made their candidates very public, even allowing reporters from The Birmingham News to follow them up to New York City and report everyone that comes to the interview table. There is a football conference going on in NYC this week, and Auburn AD Jay Jacobs has used the opportunity to interview a slew of candidates from Buffalo’s Turner Gill, Georgia assistant Rodney Garnder, and Miami assistant Patrick Nix.

They have also talked with Derek Dooley and are expected to interview Ball State’s Brady Hoke. And everyone knows they would love a shot at Jimbo Fisher. He is the “coach in waiting” at Florida State and was also the offensive coordinator under some other coach from Alabama when he was head coach at some school in Louisiana.

This is all out there for everyone to read on Evan Goldberg’s blog at al.com.

So which is the better way to conduct a search? Under a cloud of secrecy, leaving the process open to speculation and rumors gone wild on Internet message boards and blogs, or out in the open for all to see and comment on? Comments are open on this one.

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While there were no sightings of Greg Byrne in Kansas City, the same plane that flew from Starkville’s Bryan Field to Kansas City and back was the same plan that Kyle Veazey saw Byrne and Stricklin step off of Monday night in Starkville. That flight was returning from Love Field in Dallas.

Perhaps Byrne was in Kansas City to meet with Sooner offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who is rumored to be up for the job. Perhaps the interview went well and Byrne met with Wilson again in Dallas on Monday.

Wilson has coordinated an offense that has scored 702 points this season, the first time a team has broken the 700-point barrier since 1904.

Last year, Wilson spoke with officials from Southern Mississippi, but he decided not to formally interview for the job.

Yes, that’s right. Greg Byrne’s ninja skills are so good that MSU fans and media have resorted to flight tracking to try and figure out who he is talking to about filling our head coaching vacancy. That same plan also flew to Northwest Alabama in the past day, so maybe he is also talking to Chris Hudspeth at UNA. He could have also been in Dallas to talk with TCU head coach Gary Patterson.

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Today, he appeared on an Atlanta sports radio show and was talking about some of the changes he was planning on making next year, including hiring a new offensive coordinator. He states that a deal had already been worked out for Woody to move into an administrative role (much like he is doing at Clemson) and Croom had already talked to Al Borges about taking over as offensive coordinator.

He also talked more about the “agreement” that he had with former AD Larry Templeton and the MSU President at the time about how they were going to rebuild the program and get it on the right path.

If you want to hear that interview, you can find the audio file here.

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GoGamecocks.com is reporting that South Carolina defensive coorindator Ellis Johnson has talked with Mississippi State about its head coaching vacancy. Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier has confirmed this. Johnson was the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State for 4 years under former head coach Sylvester Croom.

Ellis Johnson has the Gamecocks ranked 4th in the SEC and 11th nationally in total defense and always had solid defensive classes at Mississippi State. His contract with South Carolina includes a $1.05 million buyout, but that buyout would be waived if Johnson were to become a head coach.

Johnson left Mississippi State to join Bobby Petrino’s staff at Arkansas before accepting the job at South Carolina a few weeks later.

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The story is basically talking about both of the Gator coordinators getting interest from schools with vacancies. Assistant head coach Dan McCarney has spoken with New Mexico. They are looking for a coach after Rocky Long stepped down after 11 seasons.

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Auburn is also searching for a coach and they have been granted permission to speak to Gill. He interviewed for the Syracuse job last week and is probably one of their top candidates.

Now that the SEC Championship game is out of the way, I would expect things to move a little quicker for the MSU opening.

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Varnado recorded several career highs in the game, including 22 points on a career-most 10 made field goals in just 13 attempts. Leading the SEC in rebounding and the nation in blocks, Varnado notched nine boards and eight swats. He now stands as the SEC’s sixth most prolific blocker in league history.

Junior guard Ravern Johnson also set a career record with 21 points.

Following just behind Varnado was outstanding sophomore shooting guard Ravern Johnson, who also set a new career mark in points scored with 21 on a career-best seven field goals made. Johnson also drained 3-of-4 three-pointers and grabbed five rebounds. Rounding out State scorers in double digits was freshman point guard Dee Bost with 10, who also had five assists. Junior Barry Stewart had five assists as well.

Mississippi State hopes to extend its 9-game home win streak to 10 when Charlotte visits The Hump Wednesday at 6pm.

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