To be fair, I went through every season he had at MSU and diagnosed their wins when his name came up. It goes much deeper than that, and you have to consider the context.
I have never said Mullen is a bad coach. He did very well at MSU, and I understand it traditionally has struggled in the SEC. But, I have always said that his strength is more development than recruiting, and that’s why Florida was a better gig for him. In addition, he’s had some culture issues at both places along with struggling to get over the top in some big games.
I also have a really good friend who is a MSU alum and booster, who has personally hosted Mullen. They obviously loved him as a coach, but they did get frustrated with his loyalty to some of his friend assistants. He also said Mrs. Mullen is the more normal of the two.