Mississippi State Bulldogs closes in on new coach to lead program

'The new Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field' Photo Credit: Roger Smith via Flickr

When schools decide to change coaches and hopefully directions for their football programs it's after the team struggles and doesn't show signs of moving in the right direction. For the Mississippi State Bulldogs, that decision came on November 13th when Head Coach Zach Arnett posted a 4-6 record that was underwhelming and disappointing. The Bulldogs struggled on both offense and defense being outscored 101 to 240. Quarterback Will Rogers regressed after throwing 71 touchdowns over the previous two seasons.

As of this writing, the next coach of the Bulldogs has not been finalized, however, the school is expected to announce that Jeff Lebby will be the team's next head coach. Currently, the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, Lebby will have some tall tasks ahead of him to rebuild the program. At age 39, Lebby has been an offensive assistant at various stops, including UCF, Baylor, and Ole Miss. The head coach position for the Bulldogs would be the first head coaching opportunity for Lebby.

Lebby will be faced with building his staff and addressing the quarterback position as quarterback Will Rogers has announced that he will look at options in the transfer portal. Can Lebby convince Rogers to stay in Starkville? With Lebby's background on the offensive side of the ball and the work that he did with Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners, it is possible. This season, the Sooners have been averaging 502.4 yards and 43 points per game and will look to create similar success for the Bulldogs.

For the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, the expected hire of Lebby will mark the fourth coach since 2017. Also, after a disappointing season, finishing 5-7 overall, the Bulldogs will fail to reach a bowl game for the first time in 14 seasons. A change was, in fact, needed for the Bulldogs, with Lebby as the next head coach, can he fix the team's woes and return them to bowl games?