The “I was an SEC coach and now I’m not” club gained another member on Monday.
Mississippi State University dismissed head football coach Zach Arnett before he even finished his first full season. Arnett had been the program’s defensive coordinator under its previous head coach, the late Mike Leach.
Greg Knox
The Bulldogs are 4-6 so far this year, but have been outscored 75-13 the last two games, ugly losses at home to Kentucky and on the road at Texas A&M, and many fans were put off, at least in the realm of social media, that State seemed to be headed in the right direction under Leach — only for Arnett (or first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, or both) to change Leach’s offense completely, when quarterback Will Rogers had became Mississippi State’s all-time leading passer earlier this year, but mostly under Leach’s system.
“As part of my thorough and continued evaluation, I have determined that a chance in leadership is necessary to move our football program forward and position it for the highest level of success,” Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon said Monday, via a statement. “I have the utmost respect for Zach Arnett and am incredibly appreciative of the effort he put forth in leading our football program. However, the progress and on-field results have not been of the standard required for Mississippi State to achieve the level of success we need and expect.
“Zach took on an unprecedented and challenging situation last December. He provided the football program much needed leadership and stability during a tragic time. There is no question that he has made a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes during his time here. We are grateful for his contributions to Mississippi State and wish him the very best both personally and professionally.”
To be fair, Rogers has been injured for much of the season, but the new offensive system is more of a pro style system, rather than Leach’s well-known Air Raid. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the pro style (ask Nick Saban, who won national championships with it), Rogers spent his entire career in the Air Raid. New offensive coordinator
Arnett’s buyout at MSU is $4 million, not nearly as hefty as the $76 million that Jimbo Fisher received as the buyout at Texas A&M a day earlier when he was dismissed from that program.
Among the names ESPN drops as possible replacements for Arnett are Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, Oklahoma offensive coordiantor Jeff Lebby, and Tulane head coach Willie Fritz, and TFB is going to add another: Texas-San Antonio head coach Jeff Traylor.
More on Greg Knox (courtesy of the Nashville Tennessean):
This is Knox’s second tenure as interim head coach at Mississippi State. Knox first coached the Bulldogs from 2009-2017 alongside former coach Dan Mullen. Knox began his career with Mississippi State as running backs coach through the 2013 season, and in 2014 was named special teams coordinator. After Mullen left to coach Florida in 2017, Knox coached the Bulldogs to a 31-27 win over Louisville and Lamar Jackson in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Under Knox from 2014-17, the special teams units ranked first in the SEC in blocked kicks and punts with 14, which ranked third in the nation over that time frame. Knox also coached running backs Josh Robinson (in 2014), Vick Ballard (in 2011) and Aeris Williams (in 2017) to finish as the fifth-, seventh- and 10th-best rushing totals in a single season in Bulldogs history, respectively.
Knox then left to coach at Florida with Mullen, where he held the same roles as running backs coach and special teams coordinator from 2018-21, before Mullen’s firing. Knox served as interim coach again, going 1-1 in the Gators’ final two games of the season. In 2022, Knox coached running backs at Buffalo before he was hired back at Mississippi State as a senior offensive analyst in the 2023 season.
During his time at Florida, he coached kicker Evan McPherson, who was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in three consecutive seasons and the Cincinnati Bengals’ fifth-round NFL draft pick in 2021. Kadarius Toney was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press for his work as a returner in 2020. With Knox as running backs coach, the Gators averaged 200-plus yards rushing per game, ranking fourth in the SEC in 2018 (213.2 ypg) and fifth in 2020 (208.7 ypg).
Interim Mississippi State head coach Greg Knox (above).
