HARD no to Mullen. Hiring him would draw a lot of negative media reaction. Tech needs to rehab its image as a football program. Trying to also be a coach's rehab stop would be a mess. I can't imagine players and assistants wanting to buy into a program that's looked at as hard to recruit and win at, with a coach who's reputed to be hard to work with and uninterested in recruiting. None of that may be true. But Tech can't weather the weight of more negative perceptions right now. (Which, I've been a Tech football fan long enough to recognize that this means we're probably announcing Mullen as the coach tomorrow.)1.
1. He wins. I repeat: he wins. His programs have been successful.
2. We can afford him and he'd probably take the job, though perhaps not right away.
3. Who cares about "media reaction"? Or, to be more exact, after four years of a coach whose every move was dictated by media reaction and who failed miserably as a result, why would anyone make this a main consideration?
4. We are basing a lot of our opinions about his being "hard to work with" or "uninterested in recruiting" on comments from the fanbase at Florida. Those people are almost as certifiable as the fans at Awbun, They fear they made a wrong decision in firing Mullen and are desperate to excuse themselves.
5. The whole recruiting angle here is wrong. Tech can, I think, recruit, going by the "ratings", in the low 30s-high 20s every year with an occasional breakout. We are going to have to have a coach who can work with players in the high to mid 3 stars as the usual recruit. That means we need someone who can develop players. Mullen has proven he can do that, especially for QBs. And that's what Tech needs.
6. I want Chadwell and in the worst way. I think he's exactly what we need. But … no Chadwell and I definitely think Mullen is a strong candidate for the job.