Sources: Zach Arnett planning major staff shake-up at Mississippi State
Mississippi State is continuing its heartbreaking transition to a new era in the Bulldogs' football program after the sudden passing of iconic and beloved coach Mike Leach, which saw Monday's ReliaQuest Bowl the first game of newly appointed head coach Zach Arnett.
The Bulldogs, who beat Illinois in the Tampa, Florida-based postseason finale, are expected to make a number of significant changes on Arnett’s inaugural staff, multiple sources told FootballScoop this weekend.
Per sources, the following coaches “aren’t expected to return” to the Bulldogs’ staff in 2023: inside receivers coach Drew Hollingshead, outside receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr., running backs coach Jason Washington and defensive line coach Jeff Phelps. Additional coaches also might not return depending on additional factors.
Further, sources told FootballScoop that a pair of Mississippi State off-the-field staff members – associate athletics director for football administration Brittany Thackery and associate athletics director for player personnel Matt Dudek – also “are not expected” to be part of Arnett’s future staff plans.
Hollingshead had spent the past half-dozen years on Leach’s staffs at both Washington State and Mississippi State, and Spurrier Jr. has served as the Bulldogs’ pass game coordinator in addition to his positional duties while on Leach’s staff the past three years in Starkville, Mississippi.
Washington had been a defensive coach at Texas, where he also served as the Longhorns’ recruiting coordinator under former Texas coach Tom Herman, but also had spent the past three years with Leach at MSU.
As of now the lone defensive staff member not expected to be retained, Phelps had spent the past six seasons with Leach as part of his Cougars’ and Bulldogs’ staffs.
Additional staff changes in addition to these remain possible and should become clear in the coming days.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest coaching news.
