Zach Arnett details approach to Mississippi State, utilizing lessons from Mike Leach

New Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett wants to put his own stamp on the Bulldogs program, but keep the spirit of Mike Leach alive.

Leach passed away in December due to a heart attack, prompting an unexpected change to the football team. The school promoted from within by making Arnett, the defensive coordinator, the new head coach.

Things might look a little different, but Arnett couldn’t thank Leach enough for the impact on his life and coaching career.

“Well, I feel like I got to do what I believe,” Arnett said on Sirius XM’s SEC Radio. “If you try to be someone else it’s obviously gonna come through inauthentic and the players gonna read through that right away. But, I mean, I got a chance to spend three years under what in my opinion is a first ballot Hall of Fame coach. Guy’s won everywhere he’s been. His ability to simplify complex. philosophical thoughts and boil them down to their simplest and communicate. His ability to communicate with everyone in the organization was second to none.

“And so again a lot of a lot of wisdom from listening to coach Leach over the last three years and there’s lessons I learned that’ll stick with me for the rest of my life. And so I’m forever indebted to him for that. But we’re certainly going to do some things maybe a little differently because I believe in them and I’m a different person. But I cherished my time under him and again, a lot of a lot of things he explained to us and his philosophies that have certainly influenced me and will continue to for the rest of my coaching career.”

Leach went 19-17 in three seasons at head coach, leading Mississippi State to bowl games in all three seasons. He passed before the Bulldogs played in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Arnett might be the right man for the job, due to the continuity.

During the spring Arnett emphasized the coaching staff’s experience, pointing out that they’ve seen almost everything already. He also let fans know how they can support the Bulldogs during these times.

“You know, we’ve got some former head coaches who are doing a tremendous job for us in off the field roles, and they’re guys that I can lean on and look to [for] advice because they’ve been in situations like this before,” Arnett said. “And, obviously, it’s an ever changing landscape in football. So, our message to the fans, obviously, is the most important thing you can do right now if you want to support Mississippi State football is support the Bulldog Initiative.”