Friends, this is the sound a business decision makes.
“There were so many rumors every year,” Fitzgerald says of Mullen. “He told our team, ‘I’m not going anywhere.’” The Sunday after the loss to Ole Miss, Mullen met briefly with players. “He came in and said, ‘I’m leaving,’ and he walked out of the room.”
Florida plays Mississippi State this season, and all I can say is it sure is a good thing Mullen is a head coach and not a player. Gawd only knows what kind of state secrets he might have carried with him to Gainesville if he’d have been, say, a backup offensive lineman. Instead, we can all sleep easier knowing the Republic is safe.
Get The Picture 
At least he had the guts to show up in front of his players unlike Evel Knievel Petrino. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an MSU player take a shot at Mullen on a play close to the sidelines this season.
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Why don’t Mullen and Pruitt have to sit out a year before coaching? After they all they need a year to acclimate to the environment at Florida and Tennessee respectively.
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That last statement minimizes just how tough that would be for anyone not from the areas mentioned. Would prefer a year in prison than to have to immediately adjust to life in Gainesville, FL or having to see a wave of ugly orange every day in Knoxville.
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“Would prefer a year in prison than to have to immediately adjust to life in Gainesville, FL or having to see a wave of ugly orange every day in Knoxville.”
This WOULD be correct if they were coming from literally anywhere but Starkville and Tuscaloosa. I would consider them a wash in both cases with Tuscaloosa to Knoxville being the better of the two foldable draws. Starkville to Gainesville is akin to being relocated from the Afghanistan to Haiti.
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I know the nuts of your post here is about Mullen…but damn….Fitzgerald is tough as nails. Wishing him all the best and great success. Thanks for the SI link.
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It’s hard to read that article and not love that kids moxie and heart. He just loves the game and is tough as hell. I hope they mop the floor with the gators.
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Wonder if he took a picture of the recruiting board before he left?
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I hope so.
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If he did, he’s still getting killed on the trail. Gator fans are already getting restless over some recruiting battles State has beat out Mullen for. It’s going to be epic if state ends up with an upgrade and Mullen keeps UF standing pat.
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Be still, my beating heart
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I can’t understand the timeline for those events. Did he hold this press conference
http://footballscoop.com/news/dan-mullen-says-hes-staying-mississippi-state/
Saturday after the loss to Ole Miss, and then the very next day tell his players he was leaving? Why answer any questions at all?
If I’m a coach I would just ALWAYS say, from day one “I love being here, love these kids, but I never make promises unless I’m 100% sure I can keep them. I’ve never respected coaches who swear they’re going to be at XYZ school until the day they die – life ends up making liars out of most of them.”
How hard is that?
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I agree, however, it’s not always the coaches choice to leave 🙂
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Yeah, and Sexton is like “$40mil dude, take it!”
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