Allow me to theorize what Dan Mullen’s thought process has been throughout his tenure at MSU:
- Gets a SEC job at age 36 – awesome!
- Most likely expects to land a big job with pay raise (he was making $1.2 million his first two years) after a 9-4 season in 2010.
- Either Miami doesn’t want him or he doesn’t want Miami, MSU raises his pay to $2.5 million so he stays for another few years making good money with very little pressure.
- After breaking down barriers and shattering the record books in 2014, he could probably leave but there aren’t many good offers, and MSU raises his pay to $4 million.