Jeff Lebby is named the next coach at Mississippi State

Jeff Lebby, the offensive coordinator for Oklahoma, will take over as Mississippi State’s new coach, the school said on Sunday.

As the offensive coordinator at OU, Ole Miss, and UCF, Lebby is known for his fast-paced, highly effective offences. Of all active offensive coordinators, he has led an offence that has scored 50 or more points 14 times since he took over as coordinator in 2019.

A five-year contract with Lebby was agreed to, sources close to ESPN said. He takes over for Zach Arnett, who was MSU’s coach for less than a full year. Arnett was brought on board following Mike Leach’s death.

Zac Selmon, the athletic director, stated in a statement, “I am confident that Jeff is the perfect leader for the next exciting chapter of Mississippi State football.” “He will bring an exciting brand of football, elite student-athlete development, and a winning culture to Starkville, all while doing so with high integrity.”

At Mississippi State, he will be the sixth full-time head coach since Dan Mullen departed for Florida following the 2017 campaign. This year, the school ended a 13-year bowl run, as Mullen improved the program’s standards by leading them to the top spot in 2014.

Lebby spent eight years as a Baylor employee and carried over the offensive philosophy of Art Briles into his professional career. Additionally, he has worked for two of the more successful offensive minds of the last generation: Josh Heupel and Lane Kiffin.

In terms of passing, scoring, and overall offence, Oklahoma’s offence ranks in the top six in the country in 2023. One of the hardest jobs in the SEC is at Mississippi State, where competing with schools like Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M is difficult, so success there is frequently dependent on playing a different style.

“Being the head coach at Mississippi State is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Lebby stated. “My family and I are fired up to engrain ourselves in this community, build relationships with our players, and hit the recruiting trail. This is a special place with special people and a football program with a storied tradition.”