Mississippi State Announces Dan Mullen As Head Football Coach

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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Dan Mullen, widely regarded as one of the top young minds in college football, will be recommended as the 32nd head football coach in the history of Mississippi State University, director of athletics Greg Byrne said on Thursday.

Mississippi State University Interim President Dr. Roy Ruby intends to seek Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning approval for Mullen’s hire.

"Through the efforts of Greg Byrne, our very competent athletic director, Mississippi State today has made its selection for a new head football coach," Dr. Ruby said. "I believe Dan Mullen has the winning background, the experience, the enthusiasm, and the energy to lead the MSU Bulldogs back into the paths of competitive winning football.

"Dr. Mark Keenum, the newly appointed president of Mississippi State, was involved throughout the search process, and he and I both concur in this decision."

"I have been kept informed of the progress throughout the search process, and I believe Dan Mullen has all the qualities we were looking for, and this is a fine hire for Mississippi State,” Dr. Keenum said.

“We're all looking forward to the football success that we anticipate from this new addition to the MSU family."

Mullen, 36, comes to Mississippi State from the University of Florida, where he has spent the past four years as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. During his time in Gainesville, Mullen has directed the Gator offense to consecutive top finishes among Southeastern Conference offenses.  Florida ranked first in the SEC in scoring offense and total offense in 2008, averaging 45.2 points and 442.4 yards per game. And under Mullen’s tutelage in 2007, UF led the league with an average of 42.5 points and 457.2 yards per contest.

“We feel Coach Mullen is the right fit for our football program,” Byrne said. “We began this search looking for someone with high energy – a strong recruiter that was innovative offensively and had passion for college football – and Coach Mullen brings everything we were looking for in our football coach."

Prior to his tenure in Florida, Mullen worked with head coach Urban Meyer at the Utah (2003-04), Bowling Green (2001-02) and Notre Dame (1999-2000).

A graduate of Ursinus College in 1994, Mullen completed his Master’s Degree in Education from Wagner College in 1996.