QB Nick Mullens took over control of the Southern Miss offense as a true freshman in 2013. And, he endured some growing pains. Then, the Golden Eagles went to two bowl games in his junior and senior years as Mullens etched his name in the school record book.
Nick Mullens-Prep Star
Mullens played at Spain Park High School in Alabama. His senior year he threw for 3649 yards and 40 TDs and only 7 INTs. His passing yards in 2012 ranked 5th all-time in Alabama high school history. Mullens was named both the Shelby County Player of the Year and the Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year.
For his high school career, he passed for 8605 yards, good enough to rank 7th all-time in Alabama high school football. Mullens then signed to play college ball with Southern Miss.
2015: A Breakout Season
After two losing seasons to start his college career, his junior season of 2015 was a breakout year for him.
Mullens led an Golden Eagle attack that accumulated 7133 yards of total offense. He passed for 4476 yards, 38 touchdowns and 12 INTs, and he completed 63% of his passes. That team also had two 1000-yard rushers and a 1300-yard receiver.
Mullens ranked 6th in the FBS in passing yards, 9th in passing yards per game, and his 38 passing TDs ranked 4th in the country.
He led an offensive attack that ranked 12th nationally in both total offense and passing offense, and 13th in scoring offense at 39.9 points per game.
Mullens posted 10 games of over 300 yards passing, including 447 yards and 2 TDs in a 36-28 loss to Nebraska. He also recorded four games of over 70% completion percentage and threw 4 touchdown passes in a game four times.
The Golden Eagles started the 2015 season 3-3, then reeled off six straight victories. During that six-game win streak, Mullens passed for 1959 yards, 20 TDs and just 5 INTs.
In a 65-10 win over Rice, Mullens passed for 386 yards and 5 TDs, completing 74% of his passes.
The Golden Eagles earned a berth in the C-USA Championship Game but came up short, losing to Western Kentucky 45-28. Southern Miss accepted a bid to the Heart of Dallas Bowl to face off against Washington. Again, the Golden Eagles suffered a loss.
For his efforts, Mullens won the C-USA Offensive Player of the Award.
He won his second C-USA Offensive Player of the Year award in 2016 after throwing for 3272 yards, 24 TDs and 11 INTs. The Golden Eagles finished 7-6 with a win over Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl.
For his career with the Golden Eagles, Mullens passed for 11,994 yards, 87 touchdowns and 46 INTs to become the school’s all-time leading passer.
Nick Mullens and the NFL
Mullens went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft, but signed as a Undrafted Free Agent (UFA) with the San Francisco 49ers. He was with the 49ers for three seasons as a backup. In his rookie season of 2017, he played eight games. He threw for 2277 yards, 13 TDs and 10 INTs.
He didn’t see any action in 2019, and then in 2020 he threw for 2437 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 INTs.
For his career in San Francisco, he passed for 4714 yards, 25 TDs and 22 INTs. Then in 2021 he was on the practice squad in Philly and later that year with the Browns, where he played one game in Cleveland.
In 2022, Mullens enters his 6th year in the league and is currently on the Las Vegas Raiders roster, as they continue with training camp. He played last week in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
.@NickMullens to @zeus1_34 for a 19-yard gain. @Raiders nation – you like what you're seeing?
📺: @ProFootballHOF Game on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/N8g52F6fon pic.twitter.com/nMOQp4cEnk— NFL (@NFL) August 5, 2022
Mullens was 8 of 11 for 72 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs as the Raiders defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-11.
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