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Report: Zach Arnett expected to be hired as UNLV defensive coordinator under Dan Mullen

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•12/18/24•

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Ole Miss analyst Zach Arnett (Photo credit: Ole Miss Athletics)

UNLV is set to hire Zach Arnett as the program’s next defensive coordinator, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Arnett is currently working as an analyst with Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss. He will now get another coordinator job with Dan Mullen in Las Vegas.

“Dan Mullen is expected to hire former Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett as his defensive coordinator at UNLV, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports,” Zenitz said via X.

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UNLV was not the only school coming after Arnett to be their defensive coordinator. Appalachian State — which also has another recently hired head coach in Dowell Loggains — was pursuing the former Mississippi State headman as well.

Despite having deep ties in Starkville, Arnett and Mullen never worked together. Arnett was a hire of the late Mike Leach, joining the Bulldogs in 2020 from San Diego State. Mullen was still in the SEC at the time but with the Florida Gators. The two never faced off against one another either due to divisions within the conference.

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When Mississippi State fired Arnett following the 2023 season, Kiffin saw the opportunity to bring him to Ole Miss. The two battled in the Egg Bowl, enough to where Kiffin wanted to follow the footsteps of Nick Saban by bringing a former head coach in as an assistant.

“I’ve had a lot of respect for Zach and thought they did a great job over there in Starkville during his time on defense and caused people problems,” Kiffin said in March. “… It’s people that we think are really knowledgeable in the conference and as coaches in general, to add to our staff. So, this was a really good fit that way. He came down, met with myself, met with Coach [Pete] Golding. Excited to put him in the defensive room, especially with conference knowledge, and so it should be really good.”

Arnett is taking over a unit that was one of the best from a scoring defense perspective, giving up just 21.9 points per game. A ton of team success was had with a first 10-win season since 1984 too. The goal is to keep the ball rolling under Mullen and hiring Arnett is a great step.