Mississippi State fired Zach Arnett on Monday after less than one season as head coach, just under a year since he took over the Bulldogs after the tragic passing of Mike Leach from a heart issue.
Mississippi State announced Arnett’s dismissal on its athletics website. He leaves the university with a 5-6 record, including a 4-6 mark this season and the program tied for last in the Southeastern Conference West Division at 1-6.
Arnett briefly took the defensive coordinator job at Syracuse following the 2019 season before decided to work under Leach at Mississippi State.
Former Syracuse offensive line coach Mike Schmidt left to join Arnett’s staff after last season.
Senior offensive analyst Greg Knox, who has worked around the SEC for 28 of his 35 years of coaching, will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season. Mississippi State has games remaining against Southern Mississippi and rival Mississippi.
The university scheduled a news conference for Monday and said in its statement a search for a new coach will begin immediately.
Arnett, 37, was in the first of a four-year contract that paid $3 million annually plus incentives. The contract length was the maximum allowed under Mississippi state law.
Athletics director Zac Selmon said in a statement that he determined a change in leadership was needed for the football program to move forward and “position it for the highest level of success.” Selmon added that he had the utmost respect for Arnett and appreciated his effort but the on-field results weren’t at the expected level.
Selmon also acknowledged the challenging situation Arnett faced last December in taking over the Bulldogs after the death of Leach. Arnett had been defensive coordinator during Leach’s two-years-plus tenure at the school and had built it into one of the SEC’s toughest defensive units.
“There is no question that he has made a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes during his time here,” Selmon…
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