Mississippi State football: 5 coaches primed for a rebuild
By Ethan Lee
Taking a risk on GJ Kinne to lead the Bulldogs could lead to thrilling success
While some Mississippi State fans might find themselves worried about youth and inexperience when it comes to GJ Kinne, it’s worth noting that he’s already been entrusted with a rebuild a Texas State and the Bobcats are thrilled to have him.
Kinne took Incarnate Word to new heights in 2022 when he was the head coach of the Cardinals and his thrilling offense has translated well to San Marcos and the Texas State Bobcats. After a landmark haul in the transfer portal and scoring a ton of talented high school recruits, Kinne quickly got to winning with the Bobcats.
And that involved the Bobcats going on the road to Waco and stealing a win away from the Baylor Bears.
Rather than playing it safe with a conventional Mississippi State football hire and getting conventional Mississippi State football results, maybe MSU should consider branching out and taking a shot on a thrilling head coaching option.
The architect of a thrilling veer-and-shoot offense who has worked under coaches like Gus Malzahn and Sonny Dykes has also been around guys like Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson. And he’s done well with making the most out of his quarterbacks, helping Incarnate Word’s Lindsey Scott Jr. win the Walter Payton Award and then turning TJ Finley into a force for the Sun Belt to reckon with.
It’d be fun to see Chris Parson operating Kinne’s veer-and-shoot schemes.
And while some will dismiss Kinne on the premise of his lack of SEC coaching experience, maybe just once we could consider that an outside perspective would help refresh the way Mississippi State football can exist and operate. The Bulldogs desperately need a breath of fresh air.
Kinne’s Texas roots would also open up recruiting roads less traveled by the Bulldogs. Solely relying upon recruiting in Mississippi will inherently put a ceiling on all the Bulldogs can accomplish. There’s only so many high school players in the Magnolia State. But between connections with Texas high schools and the transfer portal, Kinne has already shown he can upgrade a roster in a hurry.
- Texas State’s record before Kinne: 4-8
- Record since: 6-4
- Notable achievements: mastery over the transfer portal, win over Baylor in Waco, enough wins for bowl eligibility for the second time in Texas State history
He understands how the game is played. He understands modern college football. Kinne knows how to win with a dynamic offense and a thrilling ability to recruit. He gets it.