Finebaum on Dan Mullen

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I spent an hour with the future of college football the other night. He left me with my eyes wide open and shaking my head with admiration and respect.

He's got some Urban Meyer in him. A little bit of Nick Saban. Perhaps a dash of Steve Spurrier. And if you don't blink, you might even catch a nanosecond of Lane Kiffin.

He is Dan Mullen of Mississippi State. A year ago, he was known as Tim Tebow's quarterback coach and Meyer's play-caller/offensive guru at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. Today, he is known as the man who has quickly turned around a desperate situation at Mississippi State and for the first time in awhile has fans in Starkville upbeat and optimistic.

Mullen has everything from youth (age 38) to a beautiful wife (who was a television sportscaster at The Golf Channel) and an attitude that is downright infectious.

I met him last week in Birmingham while he was schlepping from one end of nowhere to the other, spreading the gospel for Mississippi State. While Auburn coaches were rolling in stretch limousines and luxury buses and Nick Saban was flying in helicopters and lear jets around Dixie, Mullen began the annual "Road Dogs Tour" in a motor home, taking the message to 12 different places.

On the day I met him, Mullen started with breakfast in Tupelo, lunch in Huntsville, dinner in Birmingham and would spend the night in Meridian.

Amazingly, Mullen seemed to be enjoying the meet and greet and the rubber chicken circuit. When he showed up at our radio studio in Birmingham, we were told he could stay about 30 minutes. For a head football coach in the SEC, spending 10 minutes with a member of the media is a lifetime. But 30 minutes? That almost requires special NCAA legislation.

Mullen stayed an hour and would have been happy to spend the rest of the week.

"Man, I love doing this, this is fun," said Mullen, taking calls from listeners, some of whom weren't particularly pleasant.

Two fans pushing him on how he lost Cam Newton to Auburn. Newton played under Mullen at Florida and most thought Mullen would land the top junior college quarterback prospect. Mullen was diplomatic.

He was also asked by a fan about rumors he might have been first in line to replace Meyer at Florida had his former boss remained retired.

But Mullen is a smart politician. Perhaps one reason for that is politics is one of his favorite pastimes. Although he was born in Philadelphia, he grew up in Manchester, N.H., which every four years is the epicenter of American politics because of the state's early presidential primary.

As a teenager he would hang out with various politicians running for president, including Bill Clinton, although he admits he is a dedicated Fox News watcher and conservative. He said he once had a long conversation with Karl Rove, who was George W. Bush's chief political strategist.

Some of Rove must have rubbed off on him. Toward the end of his segment on the show, an Ole Miss fan called in, spitting bullets. State thrashed Ole Miss last year 41-27, ending the 5-7 season on quite an upswing. Mullen has tweaked the Rebel Nation by refusing to mention the name of the school and he did it again last week, referring to them as "the school up north."

"Geographically, they're located up north of us. They're the school up north up there."

The Ole Miss fan on the phone fired back, saying Mullen had no class and reminded him "what comes around goes around."

"We're looking forward to going up there next Thanksgiving," Mullen said, not batting an eye.

Mullen ended up at State because Greg Byrne, a brilliant young athletic director (and who recently left for Arizona), decided a change had to be made when he dismissed Sly Croom. Then, he had to convince Mullen to take the job.

Mullen confessed he knew so little about the school that he and wife sat down at a computer "and we googled it." State is difficult to find on the map. Thankfully, for Bulldog fans, the folks at Google had heard of Starkville.

In every season, certain games are circled. For State, the Thursday night home game on Sept. 9 is a major first step. Last year, Auburn pounded the Bulldogs, 49-24, in Mullen's first SEC game. Mullen knows there are miles to travel before catching Alabama. But deep down, you get the sense that Auburn is within his sights.

Mullen said the winner of the Auburn game takes a major step forward. The loser is behind the eight ball. Realistically, it's only one game. However, when you consider State is on the road later in the season at LSU, Florida and Alabama, Mullen realizes there is no margin for error.

One year at Mississippi State and coming close against Florida and LSU and beating Ole Miss does not make a career. Yet when you see this guy up close, you know what he's all about.

Whether State makes much racket in 2010 is to be seen. But I have little doubt Dan Mullen will be making a lot of noise in the future.

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