Report: Mississippi State to hire Zach Arnett as full-time head coach to replace Mike Leach

Mississippi State is acting fast to name a full-time replacement for Mike Leach. The Bulldogs named Zach Arnett their interim head coach, and they’re reportedly removing the interim tag.

Arnett is working toward signing a four-year contract to take over the program, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday. The contract hasn’t been signed yet, but Thamel said the program wanted to move fast in the wake of Leach’s death Monday night at age 61 due to complications from a heart condition.

Additionally, continuity was a big factor in the decision to move swiftly and put Arnett in the full-time role, Thamel said.

“The school wants to give the players a strong leader to help them through the grieving process and give them stability,” a source told Thamel. “Zach is the guy for that. Zach embodies MSU and understands it, and he’s going to build on the foundation that Coach Leach set.”

When Mississippi State announced Leach was taken to the hospital Sunday for a “personal health issue,” the university named Arnett the interim head coach. He joined the program with Leach’s hiring in 2020 as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after eight years with San Diego State, going from graduate assistant to defensive coordinator in that time.

Mississippi State went 8-4 this season, including a victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl in what turned out to be Leach’s last game on the sidelines. The Bulldogs are now getting ready for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois Jan. 2, and interim athletic director Bracky Brett said the program fully intends on playing that game in Leach’s honor.

“The players are 100 percent behind playing this bowl game and doing what coach Leach would expect them to do,” Brett told ESPN’s Chris Low.

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach dead at 61

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has died after a medical situation that unfolded on Dec. 11 and was later identified as a massive heart attack. He was 61 years old.

According to the release from Mississippi State, Leach passed away from complications due to a heart condition on Monday night, December 12.

Leach suffered a massive heart attack which led to the him taking an ambulance to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson on Sunday, according to the Clarion Ledger. Upon arrival to the home, EMTs used a defibrillator machine and delivered multiple shocks to restore normal heart rhythm, per the report. Leach was transported by helicopter to UMMC after being stabilized, per the report. He was listed in critical condition on Monday following his heart attack, according to a release from the school.