By Rubin E. Grant
From the moment Chip Lindsey laid eyes on Nick Mullens, he knew Mullens had the makings of a special athlete.
“When I first met Nick, he was 170 pounds and 6-foot, but the first thing I noticed is he was extremely smart and extremely competitive,” Lindsey said. “I could tell he was going to be a good player.”
Lindsey was in his first season as Spain Park’s head football coach at the time and Mullens was about to embark on two years as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback. They were together for the 2011 and 2012 high school football seasons.
Mullens was as good as Lindsey thought he would be, if not better. Mullens was named the 2012 Gatorade Alabama Football Player of the Year after completing 290 of 452 passes for 3,649 yards with 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a senior.
Despite those gaudy numbers, few major colleges recruited Mullens. He orally committed to UAB, but Lindsey was convinced he could play for a more established program.
“I had him for two years and I was a little disappointed in the recruiting process,” Lindsey said. “There were not that many people recruiting him and I’m sure that was because of his size.”
Lindsey, who is entering his first season as head coach at Troy University this fall after being offensive coordinator at Auburn, reached out to a coaching buddy, Todd Monken, on Mullens’ behalf. Monken had just been hired as head coach at Southern Miss after being offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.
“I called Todd after he got to Southern Miss and I told him I had a kid who ran the same kind of offense they ran at Oklahoma State and they should take a look at him,” Lindsey recalled.
Monken’s initial response was silence.
“He never called me back,” Lindsey said.
Monken eventually returned the call – a month later.
“They needed a quarterback,” Lindsey said. “He called and they signed Nick and the rest is history.”
Mullens had a solid career at Southern Miss, throwing for nearly 12,000 yards and 87 touchdowns in four seasons, from 2013 to 2016. He was the 2015 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year after passing for 4,476 yards and 38 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions.
NFL Bound
Now, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Mullens is entering his third season in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. That’s something Lindsey didn’t foresee back at Spain Park.
“I can’t say it was obvious that he was going to be an NFL quarterback,” Lindsey said, “but he was talented, tough and had extreme accuracy.”
Mullens started the 49ers’ opening preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 10 and played the entire first half. He completed 11 of 17 passes, with one interception, for 105 yards and one touchdown in the 49ers’ 17-9 victory.
“I thought it was a solid start,” Mullens told NBC Sports Bay Area afterward. “Obviously, you want to eliminate turnovers, but at the same time, I think we developed a rhythm eventually and put the ball in the right spot. I was accurate for the most part, and everybody did their job well – ran the ball, threw the ball and protected well. It’s a good step for the first preseason game.”
Mullens is battling C.J. Beathard for the 49ers’ backup quarterback job behind starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
“I just have to have the same mindset to work hard and stay consistent,” Mullens said in a phone interview with the Over the Mountain Journal before he reported to training camp. “It’s an awesome opportunity to compete. I have to focus on the details and play at a high level.”
Beathard was a third-round 49ers’ draft pick in 2017 out of Iowa.
The 49ers signed Mullens immediately following that same draft as an undrafted free agent. Mullens was among the final cuts before the beginning of the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but after he cleared waivers both years, Mullens was immediately assigned to the 49ers’ practice squad.
Coming Out Party
Mullens burst onto the NFL scene midway through the 2018 season. Garoppolo had suffered a season-ending knee injury Sept. 24 and Mullens joined the active roster as the backup to Beathard.
When Beathard suffered a wrist injury in late October, Mullens drew the starting assignment for his first NFL appearance in a nationally televised Thursday night game against the Oakland Raiders on Nov. 1.
Mullens was spectacular, throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-3 49ers’ victory. His 151.9 passer rating was the best mark set by a quarterback making his debut since the NFL-AFL 1970 merger.
Afterward, Mullens became emotional during a postgame television interview with sideline TV reporter Erin Andrews. The interview is still widely viewed on YouTube.
“It’s everything I’ve dreamed of,” Mullens said, holding back tears. “It’s one game though, which is very important. I’ve been in the organization for two years, just trying to learn as much as I could. Prepare like I’m their starter every week, and this week was my week. So just got to take advantage of opportunities when they come, and they came.
“I’m calm, cool, and collected until I have to bring my emotions out, and they’ll come out. I just love football. Growing up, been playing since second grade. This is why you play, for stuff like this.”
Reflecting on that first game months later, Mullens was still gracious.
“It’s been fun,” Mullens said. “When opportunities come along, you have to take advantage of them. I was glad to get in and play and see what happens.”
Mullens received the bulk of the starts for the rest of the season. He finished the season with completions on 176 of 274 pass attempts (64.2%) for 2,277 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in eight starts. He averaged 284.6 yards passing per game and a respectable 90.9 passer rating.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers are the only players to throw for more yards in their first eight starts.
The experience Mullens gained during the second half of the last season was invaluable.
“The more experience you get, the more comfortable you get and the quicker you can react,” Mullens said. “It will help me going forward.”
The Business of Football
In May, Sports Illustrated tabbed Mullens as the starting quarterback on its “All Undrafted Team,” an imaginary expansion team composed of players currently in the NFL who were signed as undrafted free agents.
“Mullens last year showed the patience, pocket toughness and field vision of a future NFL starter,” the magazine wrote.
Mullens took the recognition in stride.
“It’s a cool honor,” he said. “Any time you’re included in something by Sports Illustrated, you have to appreciate it. I’m very thankful, but now I have to focus on doing my job and the season.”
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has said neither Mullens nor Beathard has the edge to back up Garoppolo and the battle will last throughout the preseason. Beathard suffered a thumb injury last week in practice, opening the door for Mullens to seize the job.
Although the 49ers are likely to keep only one backup quarterback, Mullens is not uneasy about the prospect of not making the team.
“There’s no pressure on me,” he said. “You have to focus on what you can do and let things happen. You have to focus on what matters.”
Mullens also is not letting the competition affect his friendship with Beathard. The two have become close.
“We have a great relationship, and we both understand the business,” Mullens said. “We are basically just doing what we’re told.”
Home Life
Mullens lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, during the offseason. He and his wife, Haleigh, a former Southern Miss cheerleader, are expecting their first child.
Mullens comes to Alabama whenever his schedule allows.
“I have some close friends who still live in Birmingham,” he said. “I have some family who still lives there. I’ve been two times this year. I was there for the 4th of July. I had a good week.
Lindsey said Mullens also hasn’t forgotten his high school coach, the one who groomed him for the future when they were at Spain Park.
“We connect about once every week,” Lindsey said. “He’s really good about checking in and staying in touch.”
