Mississippi State hires Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby as next head football coach

Mississippi State announced on Sunday evening the hiring of Jeff Lebby as the Bulldogs’ next head football coach. Lebby has spent the last five seasons as an offensive coordinator, with stints at Oklahoma (2022-23), Ole Miss (2020-21) and UCF (2019). The Sooners’ offense currently ranks fourth in the nation in yards per game (502.4) and third in points scored (43.2).

“As we continue to invest in excellence at Mississippi State, the future of our football program is incredibly bright with the addition of Jeff Lebby at the helm,” AD Zac Selmon said in a statement. “I am confident that Jeff is the perfect leader for the next exciting chapter of Mississippi State football. He will bring an exciting brand of football, elite student-athlete development, and a winning culture to Starkville, all while doing so with high integrity. He is a dynamic recruiter who will attract an elite coaching staff and the nation’s top talent. There is no doubt in my mind that Jeff’s leadership, vision, and resilient work ethic will take this program to incredible heights.”

Lebby has helmed some of college football’s most prolific offenses over the past half decade and as such was one of the nation’s highest paid assistant coaches, signing a three-year deal at OU, his alma mater, that paid him nearly $1.8M per year. The Texas-native was a student assistant for the Sooners under Bob Stoops and later worked under teammate Josh Heupel for two years at UCF. Prior to that, he spent nine years on the coaching staff at Baylor.

Mississippi State moved on from former head coach Zach Arnett earlier this month after less than one full season at the helm. Arnett took over ahead of the Bulldogs’ 2022 ReliaQuest Bowl appearance (which they won) following the tragic passing of beloved coach Mike Leach.