Mississippi State fires Arnett after 11 games

• Chris Low, ESPN

  • Senior Citizen WriterNov 13, 2023, 09:06 AM ET Close College football reporter
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of the University of Tennessee

Mississippi State announced Monday that it had actually fired head football coach Zach Arnett after just one season.Arnett, who had

served as the Bulldogs’defensive planner for three seasons, was promoted to head coach last December after the sudden death of Mike Leach. Arnett’s hiring also featured the school searching for an athletic director, as John Cohen had left a little bit more than a month earlier to be the Auburn athletic director.Mississippi State( 4-6, 1-6 in the SEC)has lost 6 of its past 8 games and is coming off a 51-10 loss to Texas A&M, which simply fired its coach, Jimbo Fisher, on Sunday.Editor’s Picks“As part of my extensive and continued examination, I have actually identified that a modification in management is essential to move our football program

forward and place it for the greatest level of success, “Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon said Monday in a declaration.” I have the utmost respect for Zach Arnett and am extremely pleased of the effort he presented in leading our football program. However, the development and on-field results have not been of the requirement required for Mississippi State to accomplish the level of success we require and anticipate. “The Bulldogs have struggled on offense. They have actually scored more than 17 points simply once in 7 SEC games, and in their previous 4 games, have actually scored a total of 33 points.Arnett went away from Leach’s Air Raid offense in hiring brand-new offending organizer Kevin Barbay, who installed more of a pro-style system. The Bulldogs also were hurt by an injury to veteran quarterback Will Rogers throughout the second half of the season.Mississippi State president Mark Keenum said Selmon, who was hired in January from Oklahoma, would move efficiently in the search procedure. “When Zac Selmon was worked with after coach Leach’s passing, one of the qualities he reflected was the ability to effectively identify and recruit talent,”

Keenum said. “I have every self-confidence that Zac will move rapidly to determine a new leader for our football program who will stimulate our group, our students and our

faithful and enthusiastic fan base.”Some possible prospects to change Arnett are Tulane’s Willie Fritz, Liberty’s Jamey Chadwell, UNLV’s Barry Odom, Kansas’Lance Leipold, Troy’s Jon Sumrall, Oklahoma offending organizer Jeff Lebby and Michigan offending coordinator Sherrone Moore.Greg Knox, who was formerly an interim coach at both Mississippi State and Florida, will be the interim coach for the rest of the season.By comparative requirements, Arnett’s buyout is not massive. Mississippi State will owe him almost $4 million, but it goes through mitigation if he need to get another job.Arnett, 37, discovered himself in an extremely difficult situation when he was named head

coach last December. Not only had Leach just died, but Arnett was trying to get Mississippi State all set for a championship game, and the December signing date

had to do with a week away. There was likewise the transfer website to handle, both keeping players and finding players.”I want to sincerely thank Zach Arnett for his effort and service to the university and our football program. I will permanently be grateful to Zach for how he stepped up after the untimely death of Mike Leach,” Keenum said.Arnett, among the most respected defensive planners in the nation, will be on a lot of schools’ lists as they look for protective coordinators this offseason.