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Welcome 14th coach of UNLV, Dan Mullen

One thing I like about Mullen is that he's already had high profile jobs and made a lot of cash. So maybe the money is not the highest priority for him at this time. From what I can find, here's his salary by year.

2009 MSU $1.2M
2010 MSU $1.21M
2011 MSU $2.5M
2012 MSU $2.6M
2013 MSU $2.7M
2014 MSU $3.0M
2015 MSU $4.0M
2016 MSU $4.2M
2017 MSU $4.5M
2018 Florida $6.07M
2019 Florida $6.07M
2020 Florida $6.07M
2021 Florida $7.57M

Plus, when he was let go by Florida, he got a $12,000,000 buyout.

Point being that maybe he sees a big opportunity at UNLV and wants to be a part of it. He's made plenty of money, and will still make a good chunk at UNLV, but I'm sure he could have gotten more at other schools. So why choose UNLV? I think he sees the opportunity here. Odom made us a top 25 program in 2 years. The facilities are 1st class. The biggest thing against UNLV is the money disadvantage from being a newer school, and not being in a P4 conference. Hopefully he can help both of those things

Dan Mullen Hire?

UNLV was an impossible job to have before 2020. Not sure if "coaching graveyard" is the right term more than it's just a function of having nothing desirable to offer recruits (world-class stadium, complex) and as a result were stuck hiring from a pool of candidates that had no better coaching options themselves. I mean, many have gone on to be head coaches again (Sanford, Hauck, Sanchez) after UNLV just to do what they did again before here (Hauck, FCS) or go to other programs and still achieve limited success (Sanford-Indiana St, Sanchez-New Mex St). This is more telling of their head coaching ability than anything UNLV ever did to them. UNLV didn't put them in a graveyard. Their talent and ability charted their course. If Odom was hired a decade ago, he likely fails. He knows this. That's why his caliber never applied prior. Odom is no dummy. He knew the program (post 2020) was an easy sell (relative to the MWC) and that if he can just beat who he's supposed to, he will be exalted back up to the P4 and get paid. He entered here thanking his lucky stars that Arroyo screwed it up and didn't claim the easy glory. There are dozens out there that could have achieved what Odom did here when you think about it.
Coaching graveyard in the sense that can’t name many that left here like Odom did, leave for a better job at a major program. The losing here was real for decades. So in that sense I said coaching graveyard. Now not so much is the new public perception.

And it was!

Mullen

I think above anyone you make an effort to keep Shibest.
Shibest is close with Odom, he’s going to Purdue, as well as Scherer. I’m not sure Marion leaves for Purdue but he’s probably leaving for Oklahoma State as well as Coach Vice (alum of OSU). There’s a small possibility Marion stays, I think to be coaching under Mullen and kind of expanding the playbook and tweaking the playcalling would do Marion a lot of good. Going to Oklahoma state would be a great move too. He’ll be fine either way.

Guys like Hunkie and Del are probably staying, they are UNLV guys to their core and embedded in the community. Mullen will need those guys to be his eyes and ears locally.

I’m not worried about staffing, you know Mullen is probably the most connected HC we could have hired and he would not come if he wasn’t able to hire some guys.
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