Mississippi State makes prudent decision to promote Zach Arnett to head coach

Following the sudden passing of Mike Leach, Mississippi State’s football program was turned upside down Monday night, but the Bulldogs’ administration quickly brought some stability to an unenviable situation by promoting defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to head coach Thursday. 

It might’ve been one of the shorter “coaching searches” in recent memory, but the Bulldogs’ administration smartly recognized what they had in their third-year DC. 

“Our football program has dealt with a stunning blow at the untimely passing of Coach Mike Leach,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said in a statement. 

“It is imperative that we bring stability and continuity to our team and our coaching staff as we move forward from this tragic event. I have tremendous confidence in Zach Arnett’s leadership and believe he is uniquely positioned to continue the progress Coach Leach brought to our program. He brings great drive and intensity to the task.”

Arnett was rewarded for his loyalty to Leach and the program. He reportedly turned down advances from LSU in 2021 and Auburn this December to become a DC at bigger schools within the conference, and now he has a four-year contract worth around $3 million annually to continue the program’s momentum as its next head coach.

It’s easy to say Mississippi State really had no other choice. The Bulldogs don’t currently have an athletics director and are in the middle of interviewing candidates. The transfer portal window is wide open. National Signing Day is in less than a week. Bowl prep has begun. 

But that diminishes the type of coach and candidate Zach Arnett was. Is. Sure, the promotion was promoted by unforeseen timing, but Zach Arnett has a lot of potential and upside as a head coach. 

Arnett, 36, has been a quality assistant since coming up through the Rocky Long tree at San Diego State. In recent years, many in the industry believed would be a future head coach sooner than later. He’s been Leach’s right-hand man the last three seasons at Mississippi State and was a big reason why the Bulldogs went 8-4 in 2022, leading the No. 4 defense in the SEC in yards per play allowed. 

Despite coordinating the opposite of Leach’s pass-happy scheme, the Bulldogs have had a Top 5 unit in total defense all three seasons utilizing Arnett’s 3-3-5 stack scheme. 

He’s considered one of the top defensive minds in the country, is MSU’s best recruiter and is widely popular with the Bulldogs’ entire locker room. He instantly ends lots of staff uncertainty, too. 

That Zach Arnett’s first head coaching opportunity comes due to a terrible tragedy is unfortunate, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that he “cemented the job within the last week dealing with the worst adversity you could ever imagine in a football program.”

Thamel also noted that Arnett impressed Mississippi State’s administration throughout the fall when he periodically handled more responsibilities while Leach battled pneumonia. 

Arnett’s presence has been further felt during the turbulent last few days. He brought a calmness to the locker room amid such a difficult situation, with Thamel reporting a source told him, “The way he addressed the team, he was unbelievable,” referencing the meeting to announce Leach was taken to the hospital. 

“The way he stepped up, it was like you were listening to the head coach talk to his team. He reminded everyone of all the things we’ve been through and what Coach Leach always demanded and expected. He shares those same expectations.”

It certainly speaks strongly to Arnett’s leadership and respect within the locker room that the Bulldogs still wanted to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois on Jan. 2, 2023.

Now it’s about taking the program forward. 

The Bulldogs are set to return a majority of their top defensive players — with top linebackers Nathanial Watson, the SEC’s leading tackler, and Jett Johnson both saying they’ll be back in 2023. Same for impact defensive linemen Nathan Pickering, Jordan Davis and Jaden Crumedy. 

Star quarterback Will Rogers is also expected to return, although no formal decision has been made. 

Arnett can make it easier for Rogers if he goes out and lands a whale at his first OC, though. 

The Bulldogs should have money to spend (Leach was making close to $6 million annually) to allow Arnett to hire pretty much whoever he wants to continue Leach’s Air Raid legacy. There are plenty of intriguing Leach disciples out there, too, including TCU’s Garrett Riley. 

However Mississippi State’s staff shakes out, or closes on National Signing Day, or even performs in the bowl game against Illinois, the program is in a better place today than it was just 48 hours ago because of the stability and continuity Zach Arnett brings as the school’s permanent head coach.