Mississippi State parts ways with head coach Zach Arnett

On Monday morning Mississippi State announced it has officially parted ways with head coach Zach Arnett, a move that has been expected for a few weeks after the Bulldogs suffered a downward spiral in Arnett’s first season at the helm.

Mississippi State senior offensive analyst Greg Knox will serve as the Bulldogs’ interim head coach the remainder of the season. Knox also served as the interim head coach to finish out the 2017 season and led the Bulldogs to a TaxSlayer Bowl win over Louisville.

Athletic director Zac Selmon, who was hired after Arnett took over the gridirion program, shared his thoughts on Arnett and the upcoming change in leadership.

“As part of my thorough and continued evaluation, I have determined that a change in leadership is necessary to move our football program forward and position it for the highest level of success,” Selmon said in a school release. “I have the utmost respect for Zach Arnett and am incredibly appreciative of the effort he put forth in leading our football program. However, the progress and on-field results have not been of the standard required for Mississippi State to achieve the level of success we need and expect.

“Zach took on an unprecedented and challenging situation last December. He provided the football program much needed leadership and stability during a tragic time. There is no question that he has made a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes during his time here. We are grateful for his contributions to Mississippi State and wish him the very best both personally and professionally.

“Starkville is a special place with incredible people. Our football program is an NFL factory in a recruiting footprint that is second to none and has previously shown it can compete at the highest level in the SEC. With Mississippi State’s history, tradition, devoted fan base and facilities, while competing in the nation’s best conference, I firmly believe we will attract someone who will bring a winning culture on-and-off the field and lead our program to new heights in today’s era of college football.”

Arnett took over Mississippi State’s program on December 15th, just two days after the tragic passing of former head coach Mike Leach. Leach spent three seasons at Mississippi State from 2020-2022 and owned a 19-17 record in Starkville. During that time, Arnett served as Leach’s defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach.

“I want to sincerely thank Zach Arnett for his hard work and service to the university and our football program,” said Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum.”I will be forever grateful to Zach for how he stepped up after the untimely death of head coach Mike Leach. We asked him in those difficult hours to lead our team, protect our Top 25 recruiting class, and take us to a ReliaQuest Bowl victory over Illinois. Zach accomplished those things, and our fans should respect and appreciate him for that tremendous service to MSU. All of us at Mississippi State wish Zach and his wonderful family the very best. I know that he will go on to enjoy an outstanding career in coaching.”

Before arriving at Mississippi State to join Leach’s staff in 2020, Arnett was the defensive coordinator at San Diego State. He briefly joined Syracuse’s staff after his San Diego State stint before becoming the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator.

Leach led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 regular-season mark in 2002 before Arnett coached the team to a 19-10 win over Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 2nd.

The Bulldogs are currently 4-6 overall and 1-6 in the SEC following Saturday’s 51-10 loss at Texas A&M.

Mississippi State’s struggles on offense and defense were well-documented throughout the 2023 season. After the Bulldogs struggled to a 2-3 start to the season, injuries magnified those failures even more in the following weeks. The Bulldogs have been without starting quarterback Will Rogers and starting running back Jo’quavious Marks for more than a month and were not competitive in the SEC.

The Bulldogs’ 1-6 record inside the SEC is the program’s worst league showing since also finishing 1-7 in back to back seasons in 2005-2006 under former head coach Sylvester Croom. With the next hire, the Bulldogs will have their fifth different head coach since the 2017 season, which was Dan Mullen’s final season with the Bulldogs.

On the recruiting landscape, Mississippi State currently has 16 commitments in the Class of 2024. In recent weeks the Bulldogs have lost a couple of their top commitments in On3 four-star receiver Braylon Burnside and On3 three-star cornerback PJ Woodland, who eventually flipped to LSU.

Mississippi State’s Class of 2024 currently ranks 29th nationally and 12th in the SEC per On3 rankings.