Zach Arnett shares why he hired Kevin Barbay as offensive coordinator

Zach Arnett is in the midst of his first offseason as Mississippi State‘s head coach, recently rounding out his coaching staff for the 2023 season. One of his hires was former Appalachian State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, who will serve as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Bulldogs. In a conversation with Paul Finebaum, Arnett shared one key reason why he chose to go with Barbay as his play caller.

“I think my favorite thing about the interview with Coach Barbay, and it hit home with me because it’s kind of what my philosophy’s been on defense, what I learned,” Arnett said. “I asked him, ‘Alright, tell me what you are schematically, personnel, identity, everything about your offense.’ He said, ‘Well, show me who our 11 best players are.’”

Barbay’s offensive philosophy spoke to Arnett, emphasizing leaning into an offenses top talent and strengths in order to achieve success. Last season at Appalachian State Barbay’s offense averaged 455.3 yards and 34.9 points per game, ranking second in the Sun Belt conference and top 30 in the country in both categories.

“That hit home with me a lot because that’s obviously your job as a coach. You have to identify who your best players are because they’re the ones out on the field performing and executing. And then you have to build and tailor your scheme to the pieces you have,” Arnett said.

Mississippi State’s era of running a pass-heavy, air-raid offensive scheme will likely see it’s end next season, as Barbay runs more of a balanced offensive attack predicated on misdirection, attacking the weaknesses of a defense, and of course getting the ball to the team’s best playmakers. 16 different players scored a rushing or receiving touchdown for Appalachian State last season, and this season Mississippi State may see a similar variety of offense.

“The fact that that was his first answer leading in of what his philosophy is, ‘Hey, show me who the playmakers are. My job is to get them the ball, maximize the space for them to do what they do and score points,’ I knew that was our guy right from the start,” Arnett.

It’s clear that Arnett was fond of and aligned with the offensive principles that Barbay predicates himself on. And it will definitely be interesting to see how Barbay’s scheme looks in the 2023 season, as it has big shoes to fill following the Mike Leach era of offense.