Getty Image / Justin Ford
Plenty of college football players will be thrilled with their new coach in the next few weeks as the coaching carousel kicks into full gear. But, I’m not sure any team will have the reaction that Mississippi State did at the airport when meeting their new head coach Jeff Lebby.
They were so excited, in fact, that they hoisted Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon up in the air at the airport like he was a conquering hero.
You think people like Zac Selmon’s first hire? pic.twitter.com/PwuNEAsYWm
— Grace Ybarra (@gnybarra) November 27, 2023
According to FootballScoop, it was Bulldog players hoisting Selmon into the air.
Man, isn’t college football the best? Imagine Yankees fans hoisting Hal Steinbrenner in the air. Granted, he’d have to actually win something first, but still, they wouldn’t do it, nor would Hal let them. In college football, this is just another day.
The last year has been a tumultuous one for Mississippi State, and really isn’t their fault. Last December, head coach Mike Leach tragically passed away suddenly, and they hired defensive coordinator Will Arnett as the coach. That did not work out, and they went 5-7 this year. The team parted ways with Arnett prior to their Egg Bowl loss to rival Ole Miss on Thursday, 17-7.
They acted quickly to hire Lebby, who was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and saw that offense return to dominance this year. Previously, he was the offensive coordinator for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. He was a longtime assistant under Art Briles at Baylor, and the controversial Briles is also his father-in-law.
It seems like a good hire on paper, and they definitely needed to go back to an offensive-minded, air-raid style coach. Lebby isn’t as big of a pure air-raid guy as Mike Leach was, but definitely more than the scheme that Arnett had the team running with his offensive coordinator, Kevin Barbay.
It’s one of the toughest jobs in major college football due to its incredibly tough schedule and relative lack of resources compared to other SEC teams. But, the elimination of divisions could make their schedule easier some years, and Dan Mullen and Mike Leach have had recent success there.