but that's one thing I don't like to see.
Mullen needs to avoid all references to USM. Acting like you're claiming bragging rights over them is a bad thing, because it legitimizes them.
They need to always be treated by both Ole Miss and MSU as an after thought. The more we ignore them, the less credibility it gives to their program, and the less likely they are to actually have a chance to compete with us in recruiting anyone.
Other than the 2007 class when Fedora hired two of our top in-state recruiters right after we fired Orgeron, leading to a handful of players signing with USM, there hasn't been a time in recent memory when either school has gone head to head with USM for a player we really wanted and lost that battle.
Discussing them like they are a legitimate competitor on the recruiting front gives them just a little bit of an in, and we don't need to do that, much like we don't need to play them, though Byrne apparently missed that memo.
In other words, Mullen should treat it like a given that he's going to sign better and more in-state players than USM.
