Sylvester Croom’s Resignation Changed College Football Forever
Close your eyes.
For just a moment (or the duration of this article) the year is 2008. Mississippi State had just got rocked in the Egg Bowl. We are less than 24 hours following the 45-0 beat down when Sylvester Croom announces his resignation. Croom, the first-ever African American head coach in the long history of football in the SEC, went 21-38 over five seasons at the helm. He was a players coach and a coach who so many rooted for to succeed. Director of Athletics Greg Byrne is faced with making a hire to change the direction of the football program. As we know, he did, and the rest is history.
But, what if Sylvester Croom didn’t resign? Greg Byrne made it clear at the time that Croom’s resignation was mostly on his own accord. Supposedly, there were options on the table to help Croom and the school’s best-ever recruiting class was headed to campus. His decision, ultimately, changed the football landscape as we know it. Here is a look of potential moves that rippled off of Croom’s resignation:
Dan Mullen likely takes over a top program:
In 2008, there might not have been a hotter young, offensive play-caller on the market than Dan Mullen. Fresh off of a Heisman Trophy Winner, SEC Championships, and a BCS National Title, several programs took a look at Dan Mullen. Teams like Tennessee, Auburn, Washington, Oregon, and Clemson also would be looking for a new coach this offseason, but due to a resignation in late November, Mississippi State had a head start. The ripple effect would not only change the trajectory of these programs, but it would also change the careers of Lane Kiffin, Dabo Swinney, and Chip Kelly among others. Let’s say Dan Mullen somehow gets passed on in 2008, but there is no way he gets passed in 2009. With jobs like USC, Notre Dame, Florida State, and Louisville all coming open that offseason, Mullen almost definitely gets a job. You look at coaches like Brian Kelly and Jimbo Fisher at those opening, who both competing for a title within the last decade, and that makes for some major ripple effects.
Maybe, Mullen stays another year or two. If he does, he might get the Florida job 7 or 8 years sooner. Urban Meyer resigned in 2010 and Dan Mullen would have absolutely been in contention for the job. He might have kept Florida stable and who knows what they could be now. It also saves them quite a few embarrassments over the last decade or so.
Without Dan Mullen, Johnthan Banks, Darius Slay, Dak Prescott, and Nick Fitzgerald, among others, probably don’t play at Mississippi State:
Darius Slay and Johnthan Banks were not heavily recruited by MSU until Dan Mullen took over. Actually, both recruits did not even visit MSU until January of 2009. These were obviously huge recruits for Mullen, as Johnthan Banks went on to win the Thorpe Award in 2012, and Darius Slay is regarded as one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Mullen’s work with quarterbacks, along with his ability to recruit incredible gems, led MSU to two of the SEC’s record holders. Dak Prescott committed to MSU after Dan Mullen was the only coach who was going to let him play quarterback. Even Prescott has said he was close to signing with Les Miles and LSU. If Prescott signs LSU, he most likely plays tight end in college. Similarly, Nick Fitzgerald was set to attend Middle Tennessee State before setting the SEC’s all-time rushing record. None of these players were likely to attend MSU without the recruitment from Dan Mullen.
Dak Prescott goes to LSU:
Even Prescott will tell you that he almost went to LSU. If Dan Mullen does not promise Prescott that he will remain a quarterback, Prescott does not commit to MSU. Dak Prescott likely plays tight end at LSU and does not go on to have an illustrious college career, at least at quarterback. Maybe, with all the quarterback struggles at LSU, Prescott does go to play quarterback. Does he find the same development without a QB guru like Mullen? If he does, is his offense enough to keep Les Miles’ job? Maybe they contend for a couple of national titles more under Miles, and maybe he is still the coach today. This would of course change a few people's jobs, particularly Ed Orgeron, the USC job, and the Kansas job. What does that mean for Joe Burrow and that historic run?
Without Dak Prescott, Mississippi State likely does not debut at No. 1 in the initial College Football Playoff Rankings:
Sure, in the grand scheme of things, this might only have changed the answers to some Aflac Trivia questions, but I take it pretty seriously.
Without Dak Prescott as a QB, what happens to the Cowboys?
As Tony Romo struggled with injury and his ability on the field, Dak Prescott seized the reins of America’s Team and led them to the playoffs. His success likely saved Jason Garrett’s job a time or two, though it ultimately mattered not in the end. The NFL loses a superstar of a player at QB, as do the Cowboys. Man, it really would change the NFL landscape now, that for sure.
Greg Byrne isn’t regarded so highly after keeping a struggling coach and, in return, doesn’t get job at Arizona/Alabama:
Greg Byrne was likely to be successful at whatever he did. He has worked tirelessly at becoming one of the best AD’s in the country, but let’s face it, Dan Mullen helped catapult his career. His successful hiring there landed him the job at Arizona in 2010, which from there he transformed that program landing his Alabama gig. After playing in a small on-campus stadium, Byrne first major move at Arizona was to move to Arizona’s baseball team to an off-campus stadium. This move gives Arizona one of the most unique ballparks in the country, which was crucial to their 2012 CWS Championship run. After Sean Miller began to dominate college basketball in his first year as AD, Byrne made sure Miller would be there long term. Byrne signed Miller to extension not once but twice, insuring Arizona would house one of college basketball’s top coaches. Without the hire of Dan Mullen, Byrne likely is not in a position to make any of this happen. Maybe, Arizona doesn’t have as much success across the board.
Saban to Texas? Well, it’s quite plausible.
Without success at Arizona, Byrne is not named AD at Alabama. How does that affect Alabama and Saban? Byrne made Nick Saban the highest-paid coach in CFB history in his first year as AD. If Nick Saban is not made the highest-paid coach, does he leave for Texas in 2017? It is reported that is almost what happened. The highest-paid head coach ever was just too much to turn down for Saban, and he remained at Alabama. This also goes on to affect Tom Herman, who likely would have taken the LSU job when the Texas job was filled. With Herman at LSU, Ed Orgeron does not become the head coach of the Tigers and Joe Burrow does not come to LSU either. Who replaces Nick Saban at Alabama? Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney, and Dan Mullen would have been in the mix undoubtedly. That would change the college football landscape as we know it.
So while Sylvester Croom changed history by becoming the first-ever African American head coach in SEC football, he could have a hand in much more. To think we were just one resignation away from a very different world shows you the power of the coaching carousel.
