Just a few days ago Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby teased a potential change on the coaching staff after finishing the 2025 season with a 5-7 record.
“We’re in the middle of evaluating every bit of it. I was talking about being aggressive from a recruiting standpoint, it’s all areas inside the program as we continue to move this thing forward, and build it the way we want to go sustain. We’re evaluating every piece of it. Expect there to be some things to change as we get into the next 7 to 10 days,” he said when asked if he anticipates adding members to the coaching staff.
Two days later, Lebby did, in fact, make a change.
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On Saturday, Dec. 6, Lebby reportedly fired defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler and is replacing him with former Bulldogs head coach Zach Arnett, who was team’s defensive coordinator from 2020-22 before serving as head coach for one season.
In two seasons as head coach, Lebby owns a 7-17 record, but the Bulldogs made a three-game improvement from the 2024 season to the 2025 campaign. Mississippi State ended the season with a 5-7 record and still technically has a chance at a bowl game as one of the top 5-7 alternates if Kansas State decides not to play its bowl game.
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