STARKVILLE (AP) — Mississippi State hired a Florida offensive coordinator with no college head coaching experience to come lead its football program.

That was nine years ago. His name was Dan Mullen. It turned out be a risk that worked out extremely well for the Bulldogs.

Mullen had a 69-46 record and lifted the Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference basement to a respected — and often successful — program in the Western Division.

He left the folks in Starkville to return to Florida as the Gators’ new head coach. The move announced Sunday wasn’t totally unexpected — Mullen’s name has been mentioned in connection with other jobs, including Florida’s, during the past several offseasons.

“In anticipation of this development, MSU has already begun the process of an orderly and expeditious transition to new and exciting leadership for our football program,” Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum said in a statement Sunday.

It wouldn’t be surprising for Mississippi State to copy the Mullen blueprint in an effort to find future success.

Many of the names connected to the Mississippi State job through various reports are current coordinators. Among them: Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead.

Mullen was one of the most successful football coaches in program history. His 69 wins were the second-most at Mississippi State and he led the Bulldogs to a program-record eight straight bowl games.

His best season was in 2014, when Mississippi State was the No. 1 team in the country for five straight weeks. The Bulldogs, who were led by current Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, finished with a 10-3 record that season.

The good news for the Bulldogs is the job should be more attractive than it’s even been.

“We return a tremendous roster of young talent,” Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen said when announcing Mullen’s departure. “We seek someone who will continue us on our path to competing for championships and developing our student-athletes both on and off the field.”

Longtime running backs coach Greg Knox will serve as interim head coach for MSU in its bowl game.
No. 24 Mississippi State has an 8-4 record this season, including a 4-4 mark in the SEC. If the Bulldogs win their bowl game, it’ll be the third time in four seasons that they’ve won nine games.

The roster appears stocked for 2018: Starting QB Nick Fitzgerald suffered a gruesome dislocated ankle in the Egg Bowl last week, but has already had surgery and is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for next season. Only a handful of the main contributors this season were seniors.

Mississippi State has also improved its facilities in recent years. In 2014, Davis Wade Stadium received a $75 million upgrade that increased seating by several thousand.

The main downside to the job is the Bulldogs reside in the SEC’s Western Division and the other six programs are flush with cash and other resources. But Mullen proved that Mississippi State can be a factor — and the Bulldogs are looking for someone with the ability to do the same.