Playing football at Notre Dame was Brandon Mullins’ dream from the start.

But one night in June of 2011, when that dream finally became a legitimate possibility, Mullins needed only a few hours to decline the offer and stay committed to Syracuse lacrosse. Though the juicy offer tempted those around him, Mullins remained steadfast, sticking with the school that came after him first.

Mullins received full-scholarship football offers from Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, among others, said his father, David. But those looks came after he had already pledged to play lacrosse at Syracuse. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound defender stuck with his gut.

Now in his second year on SU’s defense, and firmly situated in a starting role, Mullins is glad he stayed with the Orange, despite some rather tempting football and lacrosse offers that made people around him question his decision more than he did.

It started in fifth grade. Lacrosse was the cool new fad. A sport that was far from synonymous with Texas had finally swept down south to the Lone Star State. Some of Mullins’ friends were trying out for the town team, so he decided to go along for the ride.

“I just wanted to give it a try,” Mullins said.

Little did he know that tryout would be the start of a journey toward college lacrosse stardom. It would also lead him to what he considers his best sport, despite the accolades he piled up playing football for Coppell High School, a school that was the centerpiece of one of the most football-infused regions in the country.

Up until fifth grade, all Mullins knew was football. His father played college football at Texas State, so Xs and Os were drilled into his mind as soon as he could grip the laces of a ball. David Mullins coached his son’s teams through middle school, teaching him all he knew to continue to sharpen his mind and his game.

Then high school rolled around, and Brandon was no longer a lacrosse novice. His game was rapidly improving, and he started to distance himself from the competition. With blazing speed and ridiculously adept hand-eye coordination at his disposal, Mullins excelled in both football and lacrosse.

“I really loved them both. I think they’re different in their own way. Football is Friday night lights – it’s pretty crazy,” Mullins said. “But lacrosse I enjoyed because it was a bunch of my friends and I just always loved playing.”

Because lacrosse wasn’t a sanctioned sport at Coppell, Mullins had to play for club teams. Athletic Director John Crawford “shunned” lacrosse, according to David Mullins, so Brandon had to go elsewhere to sharpen his skills and work toward becoming elite.

“When lacrosse coaches called the high school, the athletic director would tell them the school didn’t have lacrosse,” David Mullins said.

Despite this obstacle, Brandon didn’t have to go far to find another opportunity to play lacrosse. The sport had started to blossom in the suburbs of Dallas on the club level and was gaining popularity at a rapid rate.

Mullins played for the Coppell Lacrosse Association, a program with teams spanning from first-graders through high-school-aged players. He led the Cowboys to three consecutive state championships, recovering 66 ground balls and earning all-state player of the year honors twice.

Ranked the No. 10 defender in the Class of 2011 by Inside Lacrosse, Mullins started to get looks from premier programs, playing his way into the national spotlight. The next few months, Brandon and his family traveled from Texas to the East Coast, touring Syracuse, Penn State, Brown and Stony Brook.

The first school that pursued Mullins was North Carolina. After seeing his skill set at a winter camp in Dallas, UNC head coach Joe Breschi and his staff offered the defenseman a scholarship. The Mullins family agreed to go to Chapel Hill, N.C., to find out more about the school, hopeful the defender would become a Tar Heel.

But just three days before they were scheduled to go, the North Carolina staff pulled the offer. The Mullins family stayed put.

“His mom said, ‘What is this? We bought plane tickets to fly over there just for this?’” David Mullins said.

Luckily for Mullins, he didn’t have to wait long to find another school that suited his needs and coveted him from the get-go: Syracuse.

The very next weekend, Mullins traveled more than 1,500 miles from Coppell, Texas, all the way to SU.

This trip wasn’t for naught. Mullins hit it off with members of the coaching staff, including assistant coach Lelan Rogers, immediately developing a connection.

Despite the inclement weather, the distance from home and the unfamiliarity inevitably tied to the decision, Mullins was sold. He would have a chance to play for one of the premier programs in the country, a program that had won the 2008 and 2009 national championships. John Desko and his staff would land one of the most athletic, explosive defenders in the country.

“Syracuse was the one that gave lacrosse the most credit on the campus,” David Mullins said. “You can kind of tell. Some places there’s one little hoodie that says lacrosse on the back. You go to Syracuse, you’ve got a wall of them.”

It was a perfect match, but first, Mullins needed to make one more phone call, not wanting to miss out on a potentially perfect opportunity. He spoke with Notre Dame lacrosse assistant coach Gerry Byrne, asking if there was any way he could play for UND, his dream school for both football and lacrosse.

Byrne’s answer was a simple one.

“We can’t do it this early,” he said.

Syracuse showed serious interest in Mullins early in the recruiting process. Notre Dame, North Carolina and Syracuse were his top three options. Once the other two possibilities fell through, Mullins verbally committed to the Orange.

But his recruitment was far from over. In fact, lacrosse recruitment was just one piece of the puzzle. Most people considered football his better sport. He was the 2010 Associated Press 5A Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team, all-state selection, torching the competition for four years as a versatile, dominant linebacker.

Mullins received offers from schools such as Boise State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma, and would have been given a full ride to all of them. While all of those options were viable and tempting ones, some more so than others, Mullins’ preference was Notre Dame.

The Irish unexpectedly lost a linebacker, so they reached out to Mullins, showing interest in him for the first time. That was his No. 1 choice from the start.

But when that phone call finally came, the one he yearned for, for so long – too long, in his book – Mullins walked out of an award ceremony on a steamy June night and made up his mind for good just a few hours later, sticking with SU lacrosse.

“I told him ‘If you’re not happy doing what you’re doing, you can change it.’” David Mullins said. “He said, ‘I know what you mean, but I’m doing what I want to do where I want to do it.’”

Upon arriving at Syracuse, once his multisport recruitment carousel came to a halt and the ride was over, Mullins had an immediate effect. In his freshman season, Mullins started 10 games and appeared in all 17 for the Orange, recovering 27 ground balls and causing seven turnovers. Teammate Derek Maltz said Mullins’ absurd athletic ability was evident right away. The agile Mullins “blew the competition out of the water.”

This year, with a year of experience under his belt, coupled with that absurd athleticism, Mullins is ready to help orchestrate a dominant defensive effort for SU, Maltz said.

“His lacrosse ability is there, too,” Maltz said. “He’s not just a great athlete, he’s a great lacrosse player. I’m really looking forward to seeing him develop down the road, because he’s gonna be an unbelievable player.”

While Mullins has moved on and is glad he decided to come to Syracuse, David Mullins said his son questioned his decision just a bit on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, while watching a game between Texas and Oklahoma State. Seeing six of his friends play the sport he grew up with and cherished made him think.

“He called and said, ‘This is the first time I’ve missed football … watching all these guys on TV down here,’” David Mullins said.

Despite his desire to suit up and play football every once in a while, Mullins remains pleased with his decision.

“Once the looks started coming, my heart just kind of stuck with lacrosse,” Mullins said. “It crossed my mind, of course.”

Published on February 14, 2013 at 3:31 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass