A family member of mine who works for an SEC program has become friends the past few years with a former MSU support staffer.
He relayed some info on Mullens overall recruiting philosophy:
The general dynamic was that Mullen was in a situation where some in house felt Mullen didnt try enough for bigger recruits and some did.
It was known to them that Ole Miss was "dirty" and therefore ulled a bigger amount of the top talent from Mississippi. (As a side note, I think this is being overlooked by those who are calling Moorehead a better recruiter. Ole Miss' class this year is almost full with 18% or so of bluechip recruits. 2 years ago, it was at 50%. The struggling of one Mississippi program directly benefits the other.)
The goal was recruiting physical players since from a skill perspective it was difficult to match up with the likes of Bama, Auburn, LSU etc. They targeted players of strong character who bought into the program. Mullen did not view Mississippi State as having the recruiting potential of his SEC west rivals so he recruited accordingly and picked and choose his battles. This was to the dismay of some, including the fanbase. It was viewed as laziness at times but according to the staffer it was a direct strategy.
The staffer felt overall Mullen and his staff (who is largely our new staff) did a great job of identifying under the radar talent. Player development was top notch. He said as far as recruiting at Florida goes, the shift from recruiting from a perennial SEC bottom dweller with lower expectations to a school like Florida will be interesting to see how the staff adapts given the mode they have been in at Miss State.
He posed that Florida may see more of a bump in next years class, as they get some game film on tape and make more in roads in Florida.
As for individual coaches:
- Mullen - has above average recruiting potential. A little arrogant at times but generally well liked.
- Hevesy - As has been said, Hevesy identifies recruits he likes each year that often arent
considered top tier recruits. Him and Mullen have had heated discussions at times as they can disagree on who to pursue, but that Mullen believes Hevesy is an elite actual coach so he affords him leeway..
- Knox - Knox was often put on the biggest recruits Miss State has. Is generally well liked on the trail. Not an elite recruiter but not deficient either. Many were really impressed with how Knox did handling this bowl game vs Louisville (where he got his back up qb to beat Bobby Petrino and Lamar Jackson
- Christian Robinson - Very likeable guy that has the potential to be an above average recruiter. He is Granthams protege.
- Billy Gonzales - Above average recruiter that was reigned in some at times by Mullen. Great coach.
Ron English - This staffer felt Ron was the worst recruiter of the bunch and found him a bit weird. Great knowledge of the game though.
Brian Johnson - feels he could be a better recruiter than he currently had been until he left for Houston. Has a lot of potential.
Grantham - Great coach, decent/good recruiter.
This is from a support staffer so take it FWIW.
He relayed some info on Mullens overall recruiting philosophy:
The general dynamic was that Mullen was in a situation where some in house felt Mullen didnt try enough for bigger recruits and some did.
It was known to them that Ole Miss was "dirty" and therefore ulled a bigger amount of the top talent from Mississippi. (As a side note, I think this is being overlooked by those who are calling Moorehead a better recruiter. Ole Miss' class this year is almost full with 18% or so of bluechip recruits. 2 years ago, it was at 50%. The struggling of one Mississippi program directly benefits the other.)
The goal was recruiting physical players since from a skill perspective it was difficult to match up with the likes of Bama, Auburn, LSU etc. They targeted players of strong character who bought into the program. Mullen did not view Mississippi State as having the recruiting potential of his SEC west rivals so he recruited accordingly and picked and choose his battles. This was to the dismay of some, including the fanbase. It was viewed as laziness at times but according to the staffer it was a direct strategy.
The staffer felt overall Mullen and his staff (who is largely our new staff) did a great job of identifying under the radar talent. Player development was top notch. He said as far as recruiting at Florida goes, the shift from recruiting from a perennial SEC bottom dweller with lower expectations to a school like Florida will be interesting to see how the staff adapts given the mode they have been in at Miss State.
He posed that Florida may see more of a bump in next years class, as they get some game film on tape and make more in roads in Florida.
As for individual coaches:
- Mullen - has above average recruiting potential. A little arrogant at times but generally well liked.
- Hevesy - As has been said, Hevesy identifies recruits he likes each year that often arent
considered top tier recruits. Him and Mullen have had heated discussions at times as they can disagree on who to pursue, but that Mullen believes Hevesy is an elite actual coach so he affords him leeway..
- Knox - Knox was often put on the biggest recruits Miss State has. Is generally well liked on the trail. Not an elite recruiter but not deficient either. Many were really impressed with how Knox did handling this bowl game vs Louisville (where he got his back up qb to beat Bobby Petrino and Lamar Jackson
- Christian Robinson - Very likeable guy that has the potential to be an above average recruiter. He is Granthams protege.
- Billy Gonzales - Above average recruiter that was reigned in some at times by Mullen. Great coach.
Ron English - This staffer felt Ron was the worst recruiter of the bunch and found him a bit weird. Great knowledge of the game though.
Brian Johnson - feels he could be a better recruiter than he currently had been until he left for Houston. Has a lot of potential.
Grantham - Great coach, decent/good recruiter.
This is from a support staffer so take it FWIW.
