On the heels of Will Muschamp being named Mack Brown's successor at Texas, West Virginia University has locked down it's own assistant coaching star, Jeff Mullen.
"Jeff Mullen's success at West Virginia has made him a candidate for every Junior High job that has opened in Monogalia County this fall, and he has even been considered as an equipment manager for some high school teams," WVU Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong said. "We couldn't wait around any longer and let Jeff escape."
"Therefore, we have named Jeff 'Head Coach in Waiting' and raised his salary to $200,000 a year. Whenever Bill Stewart retires, and it will be at least 10 years - and I plan on being here for all of them - Jeff Mullen will be promoted to Head Coach. I think it's fairly evident he's earned it."
There are many similarities between the designations of Mullen and Muschamp. First, Mack Brown and Bill Stewart are 57 and 56 years old respectively and both have national titles. Brown's in NCAA football, and Stewart's in highest waistline while wearing a pair of slacks. Second, both coaches have at least 6 years left on their contracts.
Also, Muschamp is a rising Defensive Coordinating star, with his Texas defense ranked 25th in points allowed per game, and is just 37 years old and has been a DC for 8 years. While Mullen has done things with WVU's offense that no one even dreamed of, with his WVU offense ranked 66th in points scored, and is just 40 years old and has been an offensive coordinator for 9 games.
"I'm so excited that West Virginia has made a commitment to me," Mullen said. "I think when the terms of this agreement are released everyone will see that I'm committed to West Virginia for a long time, and they're committed to me. I plan on being here as long as they'll have me."