STARKVILLE — When Mississippi State University coach Dan Mullen arrives at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala., in nine days for Southeastern Conference media days, he’ll have an unfamiliar feeling.
Mullen will grouped with five other programs (Texas A&M University, Auburn University, University of Arkansas, University of Kentucky and University of Tennessee) and the Bulldogs fifth-year leader will be the longest tenured coach at the event on that day.
“I think there’s a lot less people walking on eggshells even though I like to keep everybody on edge a little bit around the facility and all that,” Mullen said in March during spring practice. “Everybody involved in the program, that they know with the retention we’ve had there is a plan in place. As long as we are doing the best we can to follow that plan.”
Mullen will look around and see only one head coach that he’s familiar with being on opposite sideline of during a Saturday afternoon – Texas A&M second-year head coach Kevin Sumlin.
Following 693 total yards of offense, 440 of which came from the eventual Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, the half-empty Davis Wade Stadium crowd that was left at the end, saw an emotionally crippling 38-13 loss for its MSU squad in November.
Months ago it may not have been possible for Mullen to have a rematch against Sumlin’s Aggies program as reports have surfaced that the Philadelphia Eagles were interested in speaking with Sumlin about their vacancy before they settled on former University of Oregon coach Chip Kelly.
“Winning is important but it’s really important to impact people’s lives,” said Sumlin. “That’s the reason I love college football for some crazy reason. You have guys who go through a lot and you can help develop them not just as players but as men. And I think that’s really important right now.”
The other four coaches represent schools Mullen and MSU defeated in the 2012 season for its four conference victories. In the offseason those four programs all changed leadership with its head coach. Gus Malzahn (Auburn), Bret Bielema (Arkansas), Butch Jones (Tennessee) and Mark Stoops (Kentucky) all enter the SEC this season with rebuilding projects after having no head coaching experience in the league.
SEC fans are familiar with Malzahn after the former Arkansas and Auburn offensive coordinator made a name for himself lighting up SEC defenses with his no-huddle, spread-option offense. After completing a nine-win season last year at Arkansas State University, Malzahn inherits a lot of highly recruited talent he brought to Auburn as an assistant under the recently fired Gene Chizik. However, the style of play and mentality Malzahn brings to Auburn is what Tigers Athletics Director Jay Jacobs was looking for this past offseason.
“Gus Malzahn is a proven winner,” Jacobs said. “He is without question one of the brightest minds in college football and he has won everywhere he has been. Coach Malzahn knows what it takes to build a championship program in the Southeastern Conference. He knows our state and region and he understands what it will take to turn our program around.”
Bielema is known more in the midwest part of the country after taking Wisconsin to three straight Big Ten championships. The Badgers became the first team to represent the Big Ten in three straight Rose Bowls since the University of Michigan qualified following the 1976-78 seasons under Bo Schembechler. Bielema will certainly be asked about a comment he made as the Badgers head coach that was seen as an SEC jab.
“”I can tell you this: We at the Big Ten don’t want to be like the SEC–in any way, shape or form,” Bielema said in 2011 to The Sporting News.
At his first SEC spring teleconference, Bielema said that stance was “about one coach and one instance.” referencing Ohio State University coach Urban Meryer.
Butch Jones, who owns a 50-27 record (.649) in six seasons as a head coach at the University of Central Michigan and Cincinnati joins Tennessee after Derek Dooley was fired. Jones has won four conference championships in six seasons as a head coach, including the Big East title in 2011 and 2012 with Cincinnati and the 2007 and 2009 Mid-American Conference titles at Central Michigan.
“Butch has a track record of success at every program he has led, and he views Tennessee as the job he coveted,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Dave Hart said. “We look forward to Butch leading our football program back to prominence.”
Like Mullen five years ago, Mark Stoops has never been a head coach in college football but comes to the Kentucky after being a coordinator for nine seasons at the University of Arizona under his brother Mike and Florida State University under Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher.
“Mark’s passion has been evident in the way he coaches and in his love for the game of football,” UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart said. “That passion carried over into our process and his desire to wear the Blue and White. Our desire to get better defensively and continue to expand our recruiting base helped guide us to Mark.”
Five years ago, Mullen walked into a room without any expectations as to what would happen next and what the reception would be like in his first major media responsibility as a head coach in the SEC. Half a decade later, he is the senior voice in the room and as MSU assistant David Turner can attest to in his second term with Mullen’s staff in Starkville, the maturity level and experience gained is noticeably different.
“Like any head coach, after a year or two you grow into the position,” Turner said upon being hired again on Jan. 12. “He’s matured as a head coach and I’d like to think I’ve changed as a coach as well and gotten better. Hopefully we’re working on the same goals, which is take this program as high as we can take it.”
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