Next Head Man in Starkville | The DawgHouse

     As most of you already know by now, Sylvester Croom has resigned as head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Croom's record was not overally impressive as head coach (21-38), and an early loss to Louisiana Tech seemed to drive a nail in his coffin. Here's five coaches that may be leading the Bulldogs next year:

   1. Ellis Johnson, South Carolina DC - Johnson was the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State for for four years before he moved to Columbia. South Carolina had a pretty good year on defense (minus the FLA game), and Johnson should take a little credit for it. Don't be shocked if Coach Johnson turns out to be Croom's successor.

2. Tommy Tuberville, former Auburn HC - Think of all the ruckus this could cause: Now Tuberville would be coaching against TWO of his former schools year after year. The move could make sense, as Tuberville has spent his entire head coaching career in the SEC. If Tuberville can't make the Bulldogs contenders, it would really be hard to find a coach that could.

  3. Tommy Bowden, former Clemson HC - I have had the same few coaches pop up in all my discussions, and Tommy is one of them. This move would have benefits, as Bowden would still be recruiting in the South. The only problem is that Tommy has never been a head coach in the SEC, and the last Bowden in the conference didn't end on a high note. If Bowden is hired, I wish him the best of luck.

4. Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech HC - This move could be two years too early, but I believe that at the rate that Louisiana Tech is improving, Dooley will be at a big school. How ironic would hiring Dooley be? After all, Dooley's Bulldogs beat Croom's Bulldogs on August 30th. How great would it be to have a Dooley coaching the Bulldogs in the SEC again!

5. Darkhorse Pick: Phillip Fulmer, former Tennessee HC - It seems kind of weird to call Fulmer the "former head coach", but that's what he is. Fulmer is an SEC guy, and I think that he would only coach again if it was an SEC team. Mississippi State would be the perfect fit: an SEC team, so he could still be recruiting in the South, plus an SEC team in the West Division, meaning that he wouldn't be playing the Vols every year. I've heard a lot of people say that Fulmer still has the ability to coach. If he really wants to coach again, this seems to be a great fit.