Dan Mullen of the Mississippi State Bulldogs (via ESPN) is currently the favorite to replace Joe Paterno as the head football coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Mullen held his regularly scheduled weekly press conference today in Starkville and did nothing to dispel the report. David Jones of the Patriot-News reported that when Mullen was told that he was "a leading candidate", Mullen said "great." Mullen also joked that being rumored to go somewhere else is better than being rumored to be fired.
Mullen finished the 2011 regular season at 6-6 (2-6 SEC) for the Bulldogs. He is 20-17 in three years at Mississippi State with a blowout win in the Gator Bowl last year over Michigan.
Mullen definitely has ties to the state of Pennsylvania. He is a native of Drexel Hill, PA. He played tight end at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. His wife is from Pittsburgh.
For more on the Penn State football, visit our team page or the Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries