5 innovative coaches Mississippi State football fans should know

GJ Kinne of the Texas State Bobcats

I don’t necessarily get a vote on who the Mississippi State Bulldogs should hire, but if I did, my vote would likely go in the direction of Texas State Bobcats head coach GJ Kinne, who might just be the architect of some of the most exciting offenses the country has seen in recent college football seasons.

If you’re not already familiar with Kinne, now is a great time to start brushing up on what the Texas State Bobcats are doing.

San Marcos is a historically difficult place to win on the football field, but Kinne is doing it. The 34-year-old from Mesquite, Texas has spent time coaching in a number of different systems, including Sonny Dykes’ Air Raid with the SMU Mustangs, Gus Malzahn’s UCF Knights, and then his very own Incarnate Word Cardinals which put up all sorts of fun stats and highlights.

Now, at Texas State, the young head coach is turning an afterthought of a program into a fascinating and fun team to watch.

The Bobcats haven’t had a winning record since 2014 and right now they sit at 5-2. The Bobcats are averaging 38.3 points per game and they’re gaining 489.6 yards per game. That includes a 42-31 season opening win over the Baylor Bears and a number of other impressive Sun Belt showings.

He’s an outsider when it comes to recruiting in Mississippi, but his recruiting ties to Texas high schools would be incredibly valuable for the Bulldogs.

It wouldn’t be the worst thing ever for the Mississippi State football program to try something new. While there’s a lot of talent in Mississippi, what the Bulldogs have done historically hasn’t always yielded the most impressive results. Going in a new direction might be worth it. It’s at least worth a gamble.