by The Mississippi State Bulldogs will head to the college football season 2023 with a first-year head coach after the tragic passing of Mike Leach in December.
Zach Arnett, Leach’s defensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022, will begin his first full season as head coach at Starkville after agreeing to a four-year contract following Leach’s passing.
Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Zach Arnett cheers on his team during the ReliaQuest Bowl college football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on January 2, 2023. (Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Leach, well known for implementing the “Air Raid” offensive, passed away suddenly after complications of a heart condition.
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In his three seasons in mississippi stateLeach went 19-17, with the Bulldogs playing in one bowl game each season.
Arnett has moved away from Leach’s “pure Air Raid” style, a change he says Leach would be fine with.
“Who’s going duplicate Mike Leach?” Arnett told ESPN on Monday. “There’s no chance in hell.”
Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach looks on alongside defensive coordinator Zach Arnett during a college football game against the Auburn Tigers on November 13, 2021 at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“We’re not running the pure Air Raid that we did back then,” Arnett said. “And I do not believe [Leach] I would necessarily have a problem with that because they would want me to run a program that is in the vision that I see as best for their future.”
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The Bulldogs will enter the 2023 season with a revamped offensive staff led by former Appalachian State and Central Michigan offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay.
While the offensive scheme will look different, it will be led by a familiar face: quarterback Will Rodgers.
ReliaQuest CEO Brian Murphy, right, presents the trophy to Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Zach Arnett after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium on January 2, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Rogers, the SEC record holder to complete, he returns to Mississippi State for his fourth year at Starkville with one goal in mind.
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“I’m trying to push this team forward and take this program to a place it’s never been before,” Rogers said in January, according to 247 Sports.
The Bulldogs open the season against Southeast Louisiana on September 2.
