All-Mullen Team: Best Mississippi State Tight End of Dan Mullen Era
Maroon and White Nation’s “All-Mullen Team” continues. Who is the best tight end to play for Mississippi State during the Dan Mullen era?
Continuing with the best of the best during Dan Mullen’s time as head coach, we’ve come to the tight end position.
Thus far, we have released five selections of the Maroon and White Nation ‘All-Mullen Team”. In our format, we have selected one quarterback, one running back, and three receivers before today.
Who is the best tight end to play at Mississippi State under Dan Mullen?
Tight End
Malcolm Johnson (2010-2014)
Malcolm Johnson arrived in Starkville in the 2010 recruiting class with little fanfare. The Tuscaloosa native was considered a two-star prospect coming out of Northridge High School. His only reported scholarship offer was from the Bulldogs.
Dan Mullen got a steal.
Johnson redshirted his initial year on campus. The raw prospect spent the year adding muscle to his body, learning the playbook, and adjusting to the college atmosphere. That proved to be a brilliant move for both Johnson and the Bulldogs.
Johnson first saw the field during the 2011 season. He made sure to leave his mark. Johnson played in 11 games, grabbed 11 balls, and recorded 206 yards over the course of his first season on the field. He averaged over 18 (!) yards per reception and found the end zone three times. He was selected to the coaches All-SEC freshman team following the season. Not bad.
The following season, Johnson played in three less games but still put up respectable numbers for the Bulldogs. In eight contests, the Tuscaloosa native brought down ten balls for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
His 17.1 yards per catch made defenses respect his presence on the field. The highlight of his redshirt-sophomore season was his one-handed game-winning touchdown from Tyler Russell against Tennessee in a back-and-forth shootout in Davis Wade.
Johnson kept developing at the tight end position. Despite three different quarterbacks taking snaps throughout the season, MoJo had his best career season to that point. Tyler Russell, Dak Prescott, and Damian Williams all threw passes to the big target. Johnson played in twelve games and caught 30 balls for nearly 400 yards. He came down with two touchdowns and averaged 13 yards a pop. His third season on the field earned him second-team All-SEC honors.
MoJo made sure to finish out his Mississippi State career with a bang.
During his final season in the Maroon and White, Johnson helped the Bulldogs in a variety of different ways. Lining up at both tight end and H-back, the redshirt-senior forced defenses to account for him whenever he stepped on the field. He was named a team captain and started twelve games for the Bulldogs.
Johnson caught 28 passes for 380 yards and three scores in 2014. His best game that season was perhaps against number-two Auburn. In a match-up featuring two of the three best teams in college football, MoJo caught five catches for 60 yards. He did the dirty work and came down with huge grabs that kept the chains moving. The victory catapulted Mississippi State to number-one in the nation for the first time in program history.
The Cleveland Browns selected MoJo with the 195th pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons in Cleveland, where he played in 19 games and started six. Able to play either fullback or tight end, Johnson has recorded nine catches for 59 yards in his early career.
Malcolm Johnson is the best tight end to play the tight end position at Mississippi State in the Dan Mullen era.
NOTE: all stats gathered from hailstate.com, sports-reference.com, and nfl.com.