The college football regular season has ended for most teams, which means that coaches are getting hired in some places and fired in others. The coaching carousel in the SEC has been particularly entertaining. Just this week, the Tennessee Volunteers took the cake when they almost hired Greg Schiano as their head coach. The backlash on social media was so incredible that they decided to change their minds. A plan was sent to get Schiano but then the Vols canceled last minute. At Florida, they just hired Dan Mullen, which means that Mississippi State is looking for a new head coach. Mullen was there for several years, and he left the program a lot better off than when he found it, but now the Bulldogs have to find a new coach. While their decision process is likely to be far quieter than Tennessee’s, here are some of the more likely candidates.
Joe Moorhead, Offensive Coordinator, Penn State
Reporting done Monday night indicated that Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen has put Moorhead on his shortlist of candidates. Moorhead is attractive because after Mullen developed quarterbacks such as Nick Fitzgerald and, more famously, Dak Prescott, Moorhead would be able to maintain that track record of teaching quarterbacks. He made Trace McSorley into an elite quarterback while also developing Penn State’s receivers. He knows how to teach fade routes and back-shoulder throws, the kinds of plays in which receivers box out defenders for balls in the air, and where quarterbacks are taught to throw to the outside of the field where their receivers can catch the ball and defensive backs are walled off from making the play. Moorhead is the man credited with enabling Penn State to become an elite team the past two seasons.
Manny Diaz, Defensive Coordinator, Miami
The key point to note about Diaz is that he has worked at Mississippi State before, and even more specifically, as Mullen’s former defensive coordinator. He did good work there and has found even greater success at Miami, where he will coach for the ACC championship this Saturday for a shot at the College Football Playoff. Diaz has steadily achieved in his profession, and has gotten better over time. Maybe Mississippi State will try to secure a deal this week, but if it doesn’t lock up a new head coach before Saturday, Diaz would then be able to agree to a deal on Sunday or Monday, coach Miami in the playoff semifinal if applicable, and then move to Starkville in early January. He’s a hot name right now as the Miami defense has been one of the best performing units so far this season. It’s really been the key to their ascent up the ranks and into the conversation for the College Football Playoff.
Jeremy Pruitt, Defensive Coordinator, Alabama
Pruitt coaches in the SEC West with Alabama, so he knows how good Mississippi State’s offense has become under Dan Mullen. He also has a feel for what Mississippi State can achieve as a program. He might appoint a defensive coordinator, but there is a chance he could be his own defensive play caller. A key question with Pruitt would be the offensive coordinator he is likely to choose. Pruitt would be the latest SEC coaching hire who was a Nick Saban assistant. Once in a while, this works out well, but it usually fails. Mississippi State would be taking a risk here.
Pep Hamilton, Passing Game Coordinator, Michigan
Hamilton currently works at Michigan, but he is better known for being Andrew Luck’s offensive coordinator at both Stanford in college and with the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. That’s a good thing to have on a resume, but many people will come back and say that Hamilton has not done much in his career without Luck and therefore needs to get something done at Michigan before getting a head coaching gig in college.
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