Mississippi State fires coach Zach Arnett in his first season: Why Bulldogs made the move now

April 2024 · 4 minute read

By Seth Emerson, David Ubben and Chris Vannini

Mississippi State has fired football coach Zach Arnett in his first season leading the program, athletic director Zac Selmon announced Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

Why fire Arnett now?

Selmon was apologetic in his statement after letting Arnett go, but it’s a reminder that this is a results business. Arnett inherited an unfathomably difficult situation a year ago, taking over as Mississippi State coach three days after Leach’s sudden death. Arnett, 37, moved up from defensive coordinator to first-time head coach but the Bulldogs are headed for their worst season since 2009, Dan Mullen’s first season in Starkville. It’s not just a likely losing season, four of the Bulldogs’ six defeats have been by at least three touchdowns.

Advertisement

And considering it will only cost Mississippi State around $4 million to fire Arnett — with offsetting language to lower that amount if Arnett is hired elsewhere — it’s not surprising to see Selmon and MSU make a change with three weeks until the transfer portal opens. — David Ubben, college football senior writer

SEC changes factored into the decision

Arnett was a rising star as a defensive coordinator, and the circumstances of this being his first job are well known. So this doesn’t have to be the end of his head coaching career, just an unfortunate and early start that can be written off as a learning experience.

It’s also understandable that Mississippi State felt it had to do something. It’s not going to compete with Texas A&M on the job market, but MSU also doesn’t want to fall behind in the expanded and division-less SEC once Oklahoma and Texas arrive next year.

You don’t want to see your names at the bottom of the 16-team standings, with even Vanderbilt trying to avoid that. Mississippi State has ambitions to at least be in the middle of the conference, and it also didn’t help Arnett’s cause to have arch-rival Ole Miss in the top 10 under Lane Kiffin. — Seth Emerson, college football staff writer

Possible landing spot for Arnett

Arnett has had better days, but there will be a robust market for him as a defensive coordinator. He brought the 3-3-5 defense to Starkville with Leach in 2020 and was a big reason the Bulldogs won 16 games in 2021 and 2022 combined. It’s why after Leach’s sudden death last December, Mississippi State gave him the job. He’s produced results and had buy-in from the locker room.

Arnett will get plenty of calls this offseason, and one that might be intriguing — USC. The 3-3-5 has been a good compliment to spread offenses at places like West Virginia in the past and Arnett’s work with Leach would be an interesting complement if Trojans coach Lincoln Riley wanted to explore the possibility. — Ubben

Advertisement

MSU coaching candidates

After Arnett’s struggles, expect Mississippi State to go after someone with head coaching experience, industry sources said. Some potential names to watch for the job include Troy coach Jon Sumrall, Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell, Tulane coach Willie Fritz, SMU coach Rhett Lashlee and FAU coach Tom Herman. — Chris Vannini, college football staff writer

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Feldman's Mississippi State coaching candidates to watch

What they’re saying

“I have the utmost respect for Zach Arnett and am incredibly appreciative of the effort he put forth in leading our football program,” Selmon said in a statement. “However, the progress and on-field results have not been of the standard required for Mississippi State to achieve the level of success we need and expect.

“Zach took on an unprecedented and challenging situation last December. He provided the football program much needed leadership and stability during a tragic time. There is no question that he has made a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes during his time here.”

Required reading

(Photo: John David Mercer / USA Today)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57lGlscmtkaHxzfJFsZmppX2aAcMbAnJ9mmaKjsrXAjJ%2Bgq52UYrqqv9Kip6mhXajBosDEaA%3D%3D