Mississippi State football: 5 potential replacements for Joe Moorhead
By Ethan Lee
As the Mississippi State Bulldogs continue to struggle under Joe Moorhead’s direction, it’s just about time for Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen to consider finding a new head coach.
Another week, another demoralizing loss for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. State’s loss to LSU is a somewhat forgivable offense, after all, Dan Mullen was on the wrong side of many tough losses to elite SEC teams. But, as rumors swirl of Rutgers being interested in Joe Moorhead and as MSU is still reeling from a road loss to a terrible Tennessee team, it might be time for the Bulldogs to start looking for a new coach.
Unfortunately for the folks in Starkville, finding a successful head coach to step in at Mississippi State isn’t easily done.
Arguably the biggest problem with hiring a coach for a team like Mississippi State is that the Bulldogs are constantly having to fight uphill battles. MSU has fewer resources than most other SEC programs, is far from having the prestige of the traditional blue bloods in college football, and has to compete in arguably the toughest division in this sport.
State needs someone who can step in and do more with less, similar to what Dan Mullen did while he was in Starkville. When Mullen left the program for Florida, he left the cupboard mostly stocked for his eventual replacement.
Moorhead seemed like the ideal candidate and seemingly fit the mold for what Mississippi State would need. He appeared to be innovative, forward-thinking, a solid recruiter and had previously been a successful head coach at a small school.
But, under Moorhead’s direction, the Bulldogs have fallen short. Moorhead wasted one of the best defenses MSU has ever had, only winning eight games in 2018. In 2019, it was expected that Moorhead’s team might take a step back, but losing to Tennessee wasn’t on the anticipated agenda. Blowing a lead against Kansas State and struggling against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns wasn’t either.
So, if Cohen does find himself needing a new head coach in Starkville, be it by his decision or one that has to do with Rutgers, where should he turn to find a suitable replacement?