Dan Mullen, Mississippi State agree to four-year contract extension

Mullen's new deal will take him through February of 2021

Mississippi State is doing what it can to keep coach Dan Mullen around as long as possible as he continues to establish himself as one of the best coaches to come through the program. 

Those efforts come at an interesting time, however. 

The university announced on Monday that it had extended Mullen for four more years through the 2021 season -- just a few months after the program suffered its first losing season in seven years. However, Mullen was connected to the Oregon opening before the Ducks hired Willie Taggart from South Florida. 

The coach will make $4.5 million this season. According to USA Today’s coaching salary database, that will make him the 10th-highest paid coach nationally if all other numbers hold constant, tying Penn State’s James Franklin and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. 

That’s a lot of money for a guy with no SEC West titles, let alone anything else. However, the market for coaches these days has inflated to extreme lengths and Mullen has done some excellent things in Starkville. 

Historically speaking, that’s been a tough place to win. 

Mullen’s existing contract was extended most recently following the 2014 season in which the Bulldogs won 10 games, made an Orange Bowl appearance and briefly achieved a No. 1 ranking in the College Football Playoff standings, reminding everyone it was a hell of a time to be alive. 

“Dan has brought unprecedented success to Bulldog football and is one of the elite coaches in the country,” athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “From a school-record seven straight bowl games to our performance in the classroom, he continues to raise the standard of excellence.”  

At 61-42 (.692), Mullen has the second-highest winning percentage at the program and is 12 wins away from tying Jackie Sherrill’s all-time wins record. 

“I am very thankful to the University and athletic administration for their belief in me,” Mullen said. “We have built a special program over the last eight years, creating a culture where winning is expected while achieving that in the toughest division in college football. I am proud of what we have accomplished, and I am truly excited about the direction we are heading as a program. This extension allows my family a long-term future here in Starkville, a place we are proud to call home.”   

Mullen is entering his ninth season at Mississippi State. He’s responsible for bringing in arguably the greatest player to ever come through the program -- quarterback Dak Prescott, who tore it up with the Dallas Cowboys during his rookie season in the NFL -- and making the Bulldogs program an SEC West contender. 

All in all, Mullen has a place as one of the top coaches in the SEC outside of Alabama’s Nick Saban. 

Though Mississippi State went 6-7 in 2016, the Bulldogs have some mojo heading into next year with the return of star-on-the-rise quarterback Nick Fitzgerald.