Zach Arnett lays out three steps Mississippi State took to mourn loss of Mike Leach

No college football program has had to go through what Mississippi State has over the past two months with the passing of Mike Leach. They were just a few weeks removed from an Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss before Leach fell ill and eventually passed away on Dec. 13.

Zach Arnett quickly took over, having the tough task of managing things in Starkville. He said there were three steps to mourning the loss of Leach, which began by being there for the players. Everyone who was currently on the roster had been recruited by Leach, having a special connection with their head coach.

“No. 1, be there for the players in our program,” Arnett said during an appearance on The Paul Finebaum Show. “We have tremendous young men in this program. Coach Leach meant a lot to each and every one of them. Best thing for us was to get around each other, throw ourselves into our preparation.

“Obviously, when something tragic happens, you get through that best with those who are close to you, your family members. And that’s what a football team is. So, that was priority No. 1. Be around our players, provide the support and resources they needed.”

Zach Arnett closes out impressive Mississippi State recruiting class

Just over 10 days after the passing of Leach, National Signing Day was set to take place. Recruiting is almost just as important as winning on the field itself, with Arnett having to scramble after being named Mississippi State’s head coach.

“No. 2 was to retain the players in the signing class,” Arnett said. “We had a heck of a class committed. We retained nearly every single of them. We finished with a consensus top 25 class. We signed more of the top ranked players in the state of Mississippi than any other school. I cannot commend the coaching staff and the young men in our locker room for the job that they did.”

Mississippi State finished with the 24th-ranked recruiting class in the country, good enough for No. 10 in the SEC. As Arnett mentioned, four in-state prospects have signed their National Letter of Intent with the Bulldogs, with another one possibly on the way with Monticello (MS) Lawrence County defensive lineman Jonathan Davis favored to head to Starkville.

Bowl win against Illinois propels Bulldogs into 2023 season

Somehow, someway, Mississippi State was able to play a football game after Leach’s death. They were one of the very last bowl games to be played, facing off against Illinois down in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium — a fitting place to honor the Pirate.

Arnett said preparing for the game helped take everyone’s minds off the tragedy. Getting a win was a great achievement as the Bulldogs turn their attention to the 2023 season.

“No. 3 was start preparing for a bowl game,” Arnett said. “We knew were playing a very good Illinois team. We had an opportunity on a Jan. 2 bowl game at the Reliaquest Bowl to go down there and make a statement as a program on how we got through that time. Obviously, our players did just that.

“It was a tremendous game and it was the best and most fitting way to honor Coach Leach and so I could not be more proud of the efforts put forth by the players and coaches and that is propelling us into this spring.”

Leach will never be forgotten but the grieving process works differently for everyone. Arnett did the best he can to guide Mississippi State through tough times and thus far, the results have been positive.