Dan Mullen has signed a 4-year extension at Mississippi State, the school announced Monday evening.
The new deal will keep Mullen in Starkville through the 2020 season, and pay him $4.5 million in 2017. Four-year contracts are the longest allowed for public employees by Mississippi state law.
Heading into his ninth season, Mullen has quietly become the most accomplished SEC head coach outside of Nick Saban. He owns a 61-42 record with seven consecutive bowl appearances and two top-15 finishes. His .692 winning percentage is the highest by a Mississippi State coach since College Football Hall of Fame coach Allyn McKeen collected a .764 mark from 1939-49, and his five bowl wins and string of seven straight postseason trips are school records.
Coupled with what's going down in Oxford, it's a good time to be a Bulldog.
"I am very thankful to the University and athletic administration for their belief in me," Mullen said in a statement. "We have built a special program over the last eight years, creating a culture where winning is expected while achieving that in the toughest division in college football. I am proud of what we have accomplished, and I am truly excited about the direction we are heading as a program. This extension allows my family a long-term future here in Starkville, a place we are proud to call home."
Mullen earned $4.2 million in 2016 according to the USA Today coaching salary database; a $4.5 million salary would pull him even with Penn State's James Franklin for 11th nationally based on 2016 figures.
The extension would take Mullen through his 12th season at Mississippi State. He will still be only 48 years old by that time.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.