Zach Arnett, Mississippi State coach candidates: Coach search, new names fired by SEC forwards
Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett took over after the tragic death of Mike Leach last year, but Arnett was fired last week. He leaves the program with a 5-6 record, including a 4-6 mark this season. Arnett was in the first of a four-year contract that paid $3 million annually, starting this season as the SEC’s youngest head coach and the first of Hispanic descent in league history. Senior offensive analyst Greg Knox will serve as interim head coach, with Arnett’s coaching staff staying on until the end of the season.
The Mississippi State coaching search has already begun. Arnett’s firing occurred the day after a 51-10 loss to Texas A&M in the final game for Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher as well. If you’re a fan of the Bulldogs, or if you just want to know if your coach is the next target, be sure to see what the proven team of forwards has to say at Gene’s Page, the 247Sports affiliate a covers Mississippi State.
The staff at Gene’s Page is led by Steve Robertson, who has covered the Bulldogs for 25-plus years and has consistently been a top contributor covering Mississippi football. State. Robertson has been a mainstay in the Mississippi State community – breaking news of the hiring of Mike Leach and Dan Mullen. He has written three books: Flim Flam, Stark Villains and Alpha Dawgs, all of which have been on the Mississippi bestseller list.
Robertson and the Gene’s Page staff have put together a list of coaches to watch while the Bulldogs are in the thick of the search. According to Robertson’s sources, Mississippi State has been working behind the scenes for a while knowing a change was coming.
And right now, Page Gene is offering 60% off annual subscriptions*, so now is the time to sign up.
The team at Gene’s Page already has a list of 18 possible candidates and there are some amazing names on the list. Go to the Gene Page now to see them all.
Mississippi State’s top coaching candidates
One name the staff has mentioned as a possible candidate is Dan Mullen. He led the Bulldogs to seven winning seasons over his nine years and finished with at least four SEC wins in five of those years. He is the second winningest coach in program history, going 69-46 from 2009-17 before taking the head coaching position with the Florida Gators in 2018. Florida went 21-5 over the first Mullen had two seasons before firing him after going 5-6, including 2-6 in the SEC, in 2021.
When asked about the possibility of returning to Mississippi State, Mullen said, “Never say never,” as well as saying the school holds a special place in his heart. Mullen, 51, would create an image of immediate confidence back to the program given his previous success at the school and appears to be one of the safest choices in the college football coaching pool. Mississippi State was coming off losing seasons in four of five years before Mullen left for the first time and the Bulldogs went 9-4 in his second season at the school.
Another name on the list is Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell. He has won his first 10 games with Liberty after a standout stint at Coastal Carolina, giving him a 40-6 record since 2020. Chadwell quarterback Kaidon Salter has turned into one of the top pass rushers at The Group of Five, so he can help convert. around Mississippi State’s slow-paced offense.
He has some ties to the state of Mississippi, serving as the head coach at Delta State in 2012 before taking the Charleston Southern job. Chadwell made the jump to Coastal Carolina in an interim capacity in 2017 and then permanently from 2019 to 2022. His name has been linked to several coaching searches over the past few years, and this could be his chance to make the Power Five. jump See more candidates at the Gene Page.
How to get Mississippi State coaching search updates
The rest of the list of 18 names to know includes several other interesting Group 5 head coaches, and a shocking current SEC head coach “with deep roots at Mississippi State.” See who’s who on the Gene Page.
Who are the top names in Mississippi State’s coaching search as the Bulldogs look to replace Zach Arnett, and what surprises might the current SEC coach have in store? Go to Gene’s Page to see their hot board and more, all from a team of reporters with decades of experience covering the Bulldogs, and find out. And as a reminder, Page Gene is offering 60% off an annual VIP membership as a special coaching study, so subscribe now before it’s too late.
*Power: This offer is only available to new members who sign up for an annual Gene’s Page membership. After the first year, membership is repaid annually at the regular rate. 247Sports.com reserves the right to change or cancel this promotion at any time. Please email support@247sports.com with any questions you may have.
