Jeff Lebby reveals the opportunity that allowed him to transition to a quarterback coach

Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby is considered one of the top offensive minds in college football today. However, this version of Lebby might never have existed if it wasn’t for the intervention of two individuals.

During a recent interview on ESPN College Football, the Mississippi State head coach revealed what led to his transition to quarterback coaching and his ultimate ascension to the coaching ranks.

“No, it was it was actually my time in Waco,” Lebby said. “I had an opportunity to take an offensive line job, and at that point, this was when Coach Briles actually mentioned, ‘Hey, don’t put yourself in that room.’ He saw me having a little different ceiling where four years into my career, I wanted to coach offensive line; I was an O-line guy. That’s what I wanted to do; I wanted to have all 20 of them. When at the end of the day, it was the best advice I ever got: to steer myself in a way to move towards the skill pieces of it, tight ends, and then running backs.

“Josh Heupel was the one at UCF that gave me the opportunity to coach the Q’s every single day. And he’s the one that created so much confidence for me in being able to help a guy, to be able to fix a guy, to coach the fundamentals of the position. Not just how to get to his decision-making and where to go with the football and situationally understanding things because that’s one thing, but the fundamental side of it. That is who created so much confidence for me in coaching the position every single day and the year round calendar and the developmental pieces of it that have put me sitting here today. So, that’s where it all happened.”

Lebby started his coaching career as an assistant on the Oklahoma coaching staff from 2002-06 before spending one year (2007) at the high school level. As he mentioned above, he joined the Baylor coaching staff under then-head coach Art Briles in 2008 with the intent of being an offensive line coach. However, Briles had him assist the quarterback coach for the first four years of his tenure in Waco. From there, he would hold multiple coaching positions for the Bears, including running back coach and passing game coordinator.

In 2018, Lebby joined Heupel at UCF, getting his first opportunity to become an outright quarterback coach. It didn’t take long for him to pick up the title of offensive coordinator as well, earning that title the following season.

Lebby’s story is one of mentors I’m seeing the true potential that you possess and guiding you in the direction to achieve more than you could have imagined. From his own comments, the Bulldogs’ new head coach was solely fixated on being an O-line coach. Fortunately for him, he had a cast of individuals around him who helped him successfully transition his career. Now at Mississippi State, Lebby has the opportunity to reach even further heights as a first-time head coach and arguably the most difficult college football conference: the SEC.