Jackson Free Press

While a dark cloud of an NCAA investigation hangs over the University of Mississippi, in-state rival Mississippi State University is working to keep head coach Dan Mullen. The university announced that it and Mullen had come to agreement on a contract extension that could keep him with the Bulldogs until after the 2020 season.

http://www.hailstate.com/news/2017/2/27/football-msu-announces-four-year-contract-extension-for-dan-mullen.aspx">Athletic Director John Cohen announced the four-year extension, which runs until February 2021. Since his hiring in 2009, Mullen has become the http://gridironnow.com/longest-tenured-sec-football-coaches/">second-longest tenured coach in the SEC. University of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who was hired in 2007, holds the record for the longest tenured coach.

Since becoming the Bulldogs’ head coach, Mullen has led the program to its first No. 1 ranking in school history in the 2014 season. That season, Mullen was named National and Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year.

Under him, MSU is experiencing unprecedented success on the gridiron. The university has been to a school-record seven straight bowl games, had three seasons of nine or more wins in the last six years, and is one of five SEC school to reach a bowl game every season this decade.

Mullen owns a 5-3 record against the Rebels in the Egg Bowl. He has a 61-42 record as the head coach of MSU and a .692 winning percentage, which is the highest (minimum of three years) since College Football Hall of Famer Allyn McKeen (.764 winning percentage) roamed the sidelines from 1939 to 1949.

Heading into this season, Mullen is four wins from tying with McKeen for second place in school wins and is 12 wins behind program leader Jackie Sherrill for first place. In his nine seasons as head coach with MSU, 109 individual and team, single-game, single-season and career school records have been broken.

The 44-year-old coach has done well developing players to play in the NFL. Last season, 19 former Bulldogs were on NFL rosters including Rookie of the Year quarterback Dak Prescott.

MSU isn’t just winning on the field but also getting it done in the classroom. The Bulldogs had a school record of 31 players, was fifth in the conference and landed on the 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll. MSU is graduating players and earned an NCAA Academic Progress Rate of 971, which is 12 points higher than the national average and near the top of the conference.

Mullen will earn a base salary of $4.5 million this season, but terms were not disclosed for the next three years. A four-year contract is the http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18784406/mississippi-state-dan-mullen-contract-extended-2020-season">longest allowed by state law.

MSU will begin spring practice this Thursday, March 2.