Mississippi State fires coach Zach Arnette after just 11 games

Mississippi State fires coach Zach Arnette after just 11 games
Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett reacts after missing a field goal against Texas A&M during the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in College Station, Texas.  (AP Photo/Sam Kraft)

Mississippi State has decided to move on from coach Zach Arnette before the conclusion of his first season on the job.

The school announced Monday morning that Arnett had been expelled. The Bulldogs fell to 4-6 after a 51-10 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. This was the team’s third straight loss as MSU is just 1-6 in SEC play this season.

Arnett, 37, was MSU’s defensive coordinator for three seasons and was promoted to head coach following the sudden death of Mike Leach. After Leach’s death, Arnett led the Bulldogs to a win over Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Less than a month after Arnette’s promotion, Zach Salmon was hired as athletic director. Just one year later, Salmon decided to make a change and fired Arnette just 10 games into his first full-time season as head coach. Greg Knox, one of the Bulldogs’ senior offensive analysts, will serve as interim coach for the remainder of the season.

Mississippi State has been playing without longtime quarterback Will Rogers for the past month. MSU won its first game without him to improve to 4-3 on the year, but has since lost three straight games — all by double-digit margins.

Salmon said in a statement that the “progress and on-field results” did not meet “the standards required for Mississippi State to achieve the level of success we need and expect.”

“As part of my comprehensive and ongoing evaluation, I have determined that a change in leadership is necessary to move our football program forward and place it at the highest level of success,” Salmon said in a statement. “I have the utmost respect for Zach Arnett and am incredibly appreciative of the efforts he has put into leading our football program. However, the progress and results on the field have not been at the level required for Mississippi State to achieve the level of success we need and expect.”

“Zach faced a challenging and unprecedented situation last December. He provided the football program with much-needed leadership and stability during a tragic time. There is no doubt that he 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 best both personally and professionally. “

Mississippi State President Mark Keenum added:

“When Zach Salmon was hired following the passing of Coach Leach, one of the traits he reflected was the ability to identify talent and recruit it effectively. I have every confidence that Zach will move quickly to identify a new leader for our football program who will energize our team, our students and our loyal and passionate fan base.”

“I want to sincerely thank Zach Arnett for his hard work and service to the university and our football program. I will forever be grateful to Zach for the way he stepped up after the sudden passing of head coach Mike Leach. In those difficult times we asked him for hours to lead our team, protecting the top 25 class Recruiting us, and taking us to a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Illinois. Zach has accomplished these things, and our fans should respect and appreciate him for that tremendous service he has given to MSU. We are all at Mississippi State “I wish Zach and his wonderful family the best. “I know he will continue to enjoy an outstanding coaching career.”

The Bulldogs will return to action Saturday against Southern Miss before concluding the season with the annual Egg Bowl contest against Ole Miss on Thanksgiving. Both games will be played at home in Starkville. If MSU can win these games, it will mark the program’s 14th straight season of eligibility.

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Who could be next in Mississippi?

Arnette became the third head coach to be fired from the FBS in the past two days as his firing came one day after Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher and Boise State left Andy Avalos.

Who could be next in Starkville? Ross Dellinger of Yahoo Sports pointed to several sitting coaches as potential targets in the school’s upcoming coaching search.

MSU has been a bit of a revolving door since Dan Mullen left for Florida in 2017 after spending nine years in Starkville. Joe Moorhead was fired after two seasons, which led to the hiring of Leach, the former Texas Tech and Washington State coach.

Leach went 19-17 overall and 11-15 in SEC play before his untimely death on December 12, 2022 at the age of 61. And now Arnette, Leach’s defensive coordinator, has been fired.

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