Monday Musings: What to Make of Syracuse Football's Coaching Search With Dan Mullen Seemingly Out

The Orange is looking for a new head coach, and Bob Chesney could be the current favorite.

Mike McAllister | Nov 27, 2023

Monday Musings: What to Make of Syracuse Football's Coaching Search With Dan Mullen Seemingly Out /

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Syracuse Orange

Syracuse football is looking for a new head coach after firing Dino Babers following the loss at Georgia Tech. Here is where things currently stand.

Dan Mullen

There has been a lot of smoke, rumors and innuendo surrounding former Mississippi State and Florida head coach Dan Mullen. Tommy Sladek of CNY Central reported that Director of Athletics John Wildhack met with Mullen on Wednesday. His play by play man seemed to joke with Mullen about something "orange" during the broadcast of the Miami at Boston College game on Friday. Social media activity showed many current Syracuse players and recruits following Mullen. All of this led to him being considered a top candidate.

However, late Sunday night Mullen replied to a tweet and stated, "Love the cuse. But will not be the next head coach." That would seem to eliminate Mullen from contention with his own words.

Bob Chesney

The Holy Cross head coach would seem to be the favorite given the Mullen revelation. FootballScoop.com reported that Chesney and Mullen were the two favorites and one could read their report as if Chesney could be slightly ahead. The report stated, "but the one name coming up in more areas connected to the search than any other: Bob Chesney." That was in the midst of the heavy Mullen rumors, which would suggest Chesney was actually ahead of Mullen in the pecking order even if it was close.

What we do know is that several Holy Cross players have entered the transfer portal as graduate transfers. That may have happened anyway, but would seem to lend some credence that they perhaps do not expect Chesney back next season.

Other Candidates Vetted

Besides Chesney and Mullen, Syracuse has vetted Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White, Toledo head coach Jason Candle, Marshall head coach Charles Huff, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown, Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell, James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti, Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen and others. None have the level of rumor, tea leaves and reporting that Chesney and Mullen did, however.

Press Conference?

Nunes Magician tweeted Sunday night, "Hearing that John Wildhack has a press conference scheduled for the morning." However, as of 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, nothing official from Syracuse Athletics has been announced. Will there be one Monday morning? If so, will it have anything to do with the coaching search? It remains to be seen.

Everything we had been hearing regarding timeframe was to try to wrap it up this past weekend and officially announce it early this week. The Monday presser would fit with that, but nothing has been formally announced yet.

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Published Nov 27, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.