Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby is looking to improve once again and believes he has revamped his roster enough to put his team in a position to be in the win column more often than not.
Lebby’s first season in Starkville was grueling, as the Bulldogs amassed an overall record of 2-10. Improvement was made in 2025, with the maroon and white finishing the regular season with a 5-7 record, followed by a Duke’s Mayo Bowl appearance. But the sub-.500 record is deceiving. Mississippi State lost a trio of one-score games, and two of those matchups ended in overtime.
During his appearance at SEC Media Days on Thursday, Lebby talked about what it will take for his team to take the next step. This entails building a strong roster through retention and the portal, bringing in seasoned coaches, and learning from the past to pave a new path — one where the Bulldogs are victors of tight games, instead of being on the losing end.
Turning a corner
With a nine-game SEC schedule intact for the foreseeable future, making progress is going to be difficult; not just for Mississippi State, but for all 16 teams in the conference. But excuses do not hold up in the court of public opinion, especially with millions upon millions of dollars being spent to subsidize rosters across the board. Having that in mind, Lebby said he and his staff worked to build a unit that would give the Bulldogs an edge.
On the returning side of things, Mississippi State notably retained rising star quarterback Kamario Taylor, running back Fluff Bothwell, and wideout Anthony Evans III on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, veterans Kelley Jones and Isaac Smith chose to stay in Starkville instead of entertaining the NFL Draft or the portal.
READ MORE: Kamario Taylor says ‘it’s a blessing’ to be Mississippi State QB
As for transfers, the Bulldogs brought in wide receiver Marquis Johnson from Missouri, edge rusher Amaree Williams from Florida State, defensive tackle Dealyn Evans from Texas A&M, and offensive tackle Mario Nash from Florida State.
“The thing that creates the most confidence for me is our roster. Our roster is in a much better place than it’s been the last two seasons. So that immediately gives you a chance to upgrade and change the outcome,” Lebby said. “I think the next thing that I’m, again, most excited about that I’ve already talked about a little bit is just the retention. So guys being back that had to live some of the things that we lived last year and go through some of the things that we went through.”
Lebby is optimistic that the blend between experienced returning veterans and talented players from other Power Four schools will yield a roster that is as formidable as anybody else’s in the SEC.
Bringing Zach Arnett back to Starkville
Another big piece to the revamping puzzle is adding experienced coaches to the staff, and Lebby did just that when he hired Zach Arnett, a familiar face in Starkville. Arnett served as the late Mike Leach’s defensive coordinator from 2020-22, and was elevated to head coach after Leach passed in December 2022. The defensive-minded coach’s run as the program’s frontman was short-lived, as he was fired within his first season at the helm.
But after a couple of years with grueling defenses that ranked among the very worst in the SEC, Lebby needed to make a coaching change, and he let go of former defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler. And bringing Arnett back was a no-brainer, given that the concern about the coach never centered on his ability to manage a defense.
“Another big thing for us in the offseason was, it was the staffing. And there’s been a ton of talk about bringing back Zach Arnett as our defensive coordinator,” Lebby said. “What he’s done for me and for us on that side of the ball since January has been huge. His experience, the play-calling ability, and him being able to create stress for the other side of the ball is something that we needed in a great way.”
Arnett was not the only major hire Lebby made in the offseason. The Bulldog head coach added former Tulsa frontman Philip Montgomery and former Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells to his staff. The addition of the two former head coaches is expected to be an asset for Lebby, especially when a game is on the line and he has proven leaders in his ear to help make sound decisions.
Portal approach
According to Lebby, what makes Mississippi State unique in the modern world of college football, where name, image, and likeness deals flow like milk and honey, and players have endless transfer options, is the opportunity afforded to them in Starkville. And he approaches portal prospects with the pitch that they will have an opportunity with the Bulldogs that is likely to result in growth and more playing time.
“When you start those conversations, it’s about opportunity, what their opportunity looks like as they get in the double doors and understanding where we need to upgrade,” Lebby said. “I think guys understood that when they walked in the door, if they’re transferring in with some playing time, they were going to be guys that had the ability to go compete and win a job, and that’s where it started.”
TikTok dances
Mississippi State has generated a lot of buzz off the field, with a pair of videos of Bulldog players dancing making the rounds on social media platform TikTok and others like it. When asked if he would join his players in busting a move or two on camera, Lebby gave a blunt answer.
“Absolutely not,” Lebby said.
He then told reporters to ask Kelley Jones about his unwillingness to be in a dance video, and this writer did just that. Jones, however, did not seem to think the prospect of having his head coach join in dancing was a lost cause.
“I think we definitely can if we have a great win, have him in a good mood, and catch him while we can,” Jones said. “He probably would run, but we would get him though.”
Mississippi State kicks off the upcoming campaign at home versus Louisiana Monroe. The Bulldogs are far from one of the most hyped up SEC teams heading into the fall, but Lebby is of the belief that his group can be one that surprises the masses.
