Buy or Sell: Should Dan Mullen be Fired?

Here are the pros and cons of firing Dan Mullen.

The hot topic around Mississippi State fans right now is Dan Mullen’s job security. Everywhere you look fans are flocking the internet with their opinion on what MSU should do about their struggling football program. As fans, we all have a right to our opinions as well as the right to share that opinion all over social media and message boards. I’m going to do my best to break down both sides of the argument and give my opinion.

Reasons to fire Mullen:

The Bulldogs are not a good football team this year and nobody can argue that fact. This team really doesn’t have a strength. The pass defense is nonexistent and the run defense has been brutally gashed multiple times this year. Offensively, Mullen and his staff haven’t been able to develop a quality running back even with three and four star players on the roster. The offensive line has three senior starters and is still this team’s week link.

The biggest problem is that the coaches for these offensive positions are Mullen’s best friends and seemingly have no consequences for failure.

The other side of the argument against Dan Mullen is his attitude. He seems to be loose and carefree which that is rubbing off on his players. Everything from wearing shorts in the season opener or his smirk after the game-winning field goal doinked off the goal post suggest Mullen is too relaxed. Even this week against Kentucky, it seemed like he was laughing at how bad his team was during his halftime interview. From flirting with Miami (again) to running the Boston Marathon, it hasn’t seemed like Dan’s mind is dedicated to the success of this program. It’s no wonder players that should be leaders are dropping passes and missing tackles every week when there’s no accountability from the coach.

Reasons not to fire Mullen:

Now that I’ve given all the reasons why Dan Mullen should be fired as head coach, let me say this. I DO NOT think Dan Mullen will or should be fired this year. As a matter of fact, I think the idea is ridiculous. This team is 2-5 this season with really only one game left I’m comfortable saying is a win (homecoming vs. Samford). But even at 3-9, I think Mullen deserves at least another year to right the ship.

More from Mississippi State Football

Since becoming head coach in 2009, Dan Mullen is 57-40 including perhaps Mississippi State’s best regular season (2014) and three of the programs top 10 winningest years (2010, 2014, 2015). State has never finished dead last in the SEC West during Mullen’s tenure and has been to six straight bowl games. While Mullen has only beaten a couple of teams he wasn’t favored against, he has a very good record against teams he is favored to beat. Of course, most of these trends have ended in 2016 but they’re still impressive.

Because of these accomplishments, Dan Mullen has raised the bar of success at Mississippi State. This is no longer a cellar-dwelling program that occasionally has good years. Mullen’s expectation is to be good and competitive every year with occasional great years. But as the standard bearer, Mullen should be awarded a grace year. The new athletic director will have the difficult task of sitting down with Mullen and should demand certain staff changes during the off-season, but Mullen has to know that his team better show improvement in 2017 or else it will be the end.