Joe Moorhead introduced in Starkville

Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen says he talked to somewhere in the ballpark of 120 people about the recent head coaching vacancy. Today, he introduced the only one that got the job.
The Bulldog faithful came out in full force to support the 33rd head coach of the MSU football program as Joe Moorhead rang in this new era with his very own cowbell.
The former Penn State offensive coordinator takes over for Dan Mullen following his departure to Florida and a successful nine years in Starkville.
For now, Mullen goes down as the second winningest coach in school history, having left a well-oiled machine for Moorhead to hit the ground running with. “This wasn’t a job where we had to go in, bulldoze the dang house, dig up the foundation, pour the foundation, put the walls back up, that’s not the case with this job. Coach Mullen and his staff did a fantastic job, the foundation has been laid, the walls are up, we’ve just got to make sure that we add to it,” said Moorhead.
“We were looking for a brilliant football mind, so I remember having a conversation with James Franklin at Penn State University. And I said I know this guy can call plays, I know this guy has an incredible grasp for offensive football, maybe more so than anybody in college football. But I need to ask you this, how about defensive football, and I’ll never forget for the rest of my life what Coach Franklin said. He said John, this guy is a ball coach,” said Cohen.
Moorhead will be paid $2.6 million in the first year of his four year contract, the maximum under state law. He’ll see a one hundred thousand dollar increase in each of the years that follow.