Jeff Lebby reveals catfish is his favorite item on the menu at The Little Dooey

Few places are as synonymous with Starkville, Mississippi, as The Little Dooey — or “Little Dooey’s,” as ESPN’s Rece Davis called it — a barbecue and catfish joint in town. And Davis was curious to know what Jeff Lebby, the new Mississippi State football coach, gravitates toward when he orders there.

Despite the myriad options on the menu, Lebby is loyal to a bit of seafood that’s on offer from The Little Dooey: The catfish. And while it’s available to be served a number of ways — grilled or blackened, for instance — Lebby likes it simply fried.

“I still think it’s their catfish, fried catfish. Yessir,” Lebby said on the College GameDay podcast.

For those who want something meatier from The Little Dooey, the barbecue on the menu would certainly pass muster, with pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket, and several combinations or items featuring them.

And Lebby’s love of Starkville eateries was explored further, as Davis asked if he’d eaten at Restaurant Tyler yet. Lebby had.

“You’ve gotta go with the pork chops, there’s no doubt about it,” Lebby said. “That’s A1. Bone in, really good. That’s my go-to when I go there.”

Lebby discussed what appealed about the Mississippi State job

was at his alma mater, Oklahoma, and fresh off a nice offensive year with a 10-2 club. The Sooners were moving into the SEC as well, adding to the prestige of the job. But when Mississippi State called Lebby to be their next head coach, he could not deny the opportunity.

Two things stuck out to Lebby when thinking about accepting the offer from AD Zac Selmon. One was the support the program received, specifically on game day. Lebby wanted to make sure the fan base was behind the team on a weekly basis, especially when the wins were beginning to stack up.

“We’ve got incredible support here,” Lebby said. “We’ve got a community here. There’s great energy here. You walk into Davis-Wade and you have a true advantage when you take care of business like we’re going to. That, to me, gives us a chance to get done what we want to get done.”

Mississippi State has a nice home schedule in 2024, hosting some big-time opponents. Florida will come to Starkville early in the season, while Missouri will be the final home game of the year. Texas A&M always presents an interesting matchup two, with the Bulldogs winning four of the six played at Davis-Wade.

Support for a brand new head coach is always solid but Lebby is confident Mississippi State fans will show up no matter what.

Secondly, Lebby is looking to be in a great recruiting area, something he does not have to worry about in the SEC. The state of Mississippi always produces great talent while Lebby has deep connections in Texas due to his past. Bordering states Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee are just as good as any in the country.

In the current 2025 class that’s committed to the Bulldogs, there are six different states represented and five of those are in the Southeast. Four-star EDGE Kevonte Henry is from the West Coast and out of California.

With Lebby having those two things in place, he feels like there is a chance to win in a big way with Mississippi State. Anything but a full belief and he would have stayed in Norman to lead the Oklahoma offense into the SEC.

“Can we go get the players we need? And are they going to walk into a full stadium every single Saturday? If those two things were yes, then we have a chance to go do what we want to do.”

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.