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Mississippi State football coach hot board: 8 replacements for Zach Arnett

By Ethan Lee

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 04: General view of Davis Wade Stadium during the third quarter of a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Texas A&M Aggies on October 4, 2014 in Starkville, Mississippi. Mississippi State won the game 48-31. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 04: General view of Davis Wade Stadium during the third quarter of a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the Texas A&M Aggies on October 4, 2014 in Starkville, Mississippi. Mississippi State won the game 48-31. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Tulane Green Wave head coach Willie Fritz
Oct 13, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Tulane Green Wave head coach Willie Fritz watches from the sideline during the second half at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports /

Willie Fritz

As Zac Selmon and the Mississippi State football program continue to search for a new head coach to take the reins of the MSU football team following the firing of Zach Arnett, one name to keep in mind is Willie Fritz of Tulane.

Fritz is a fascinating coach as he’s found a way to get Tulane to new heights. Just last season, the Green Wave went 12-2 and managed to win the AAC and then beat the USC Trojans in a thrilling Cotton Bowl appearance. Now, Tulane is working to sustain that success as they’re 9-1 on the season so far.

At Tulane, Fritz is 52-46 and has engineered a stunning turnaround. Just two seasons ago, Tulane stumbled to a 2-10 season and it’s taken the Green Wave a while to be able to break through with this kind of success.

Prior to Tulane, Fritz was in charge to the Georgia Southern Eagles and Sam Houston State Bearkats. And during both stops, Fritz managed to win at a high level. His success is sustainable and he’s patient. As long as his program is patient with him, he can win.

But is he interested in jumping into a new rebuild when he’s already got things rolling in New Orleans? At 63-years-old and being from Kansas, would he entertain a call from MSU if jobs in the Midwest came open? Does he feel like State would even be a good fit for him?

Pros:

  • Has experience building programs from scratch
  • Experience coaching and recruiting in the South
  • Can bring stability to Starkville

Cons:

  • Lack of SEC experience
  • How much longer does he want to coach?
  • Does he want to finish his career with yet another rebuild project?

Fritz has a proven track record and would be a big hire, but who knows how interested he is in a job like MSU.

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