Mississippi State football coaching search hot board: Jamey Chadwell

As Zac Selmon tries to find a new head coach for the Mississippi State football program, could Jamey Chadwell provide the spark the Bulldogs need?

While some were shocked by the midseason firing of head coach Zach Arnett and had strong opinions about the decision, Mississippi State athletics director Zac Selmon seems focused on ensuring the future of the Mississippi State football program is bright.

With Selmon searching for a new head coach, could the Bulldogs make a move to get Jamey Chadwell into the SEC?

We’ve discussed Chadwell on multiple different occasions:

• Mississippi State football: 5 coaches primed for a rebuild
• 5 innovative coaches Mississippi State football fans should know
• Mississippi State football coach hot board: 8 replacements for Zach Arnett

And that’s because Chadwell is a great, intriguing head coach whose offense and ability to build a program are coveted. He’s been a hot name in coaching circles and searches for a few seasons now and he truly transformed Coastal Carolina into a thrilling program.

Now that he’s thriving at Liberty, is it possible that Chadwell makes a move and provides the spark the Mississippi State football program needs?

Mississippi State football coaching search: Is Jamey Chadwell the answer for the Bulldogs?

While some like to credit Hugh Freeze with building Liberty into the team that it is now, it’s clear that Chadwell is achieving more in this season than Freeze did. He elevated what was an 8-win team into an unbeaten, 11-0 program. Liberty went from scoring 27.5 points per game last year to 39.9 points per game this year.

While at Coastal Carolina, the Chanticleers were still adjusting to FBS and he was able to develop the program to consecutive 11-win seasons. The modernized triple-option spread offense that he utilizes keeps defenses off balance and can utilize the strength of its roster to thrive. In four years at Coastal Carolina, Chadwell went 31-6 with a couple Sun Belt championships.

In his four years as the full time head coach (and not the interim head coach) leading the Chanticleers, Chadwell went 37-13 with two Sun Belt titles. This year, his new team at Liberty sits undefeated at 11-0.

That sort of winning pedigree should certainly interest Mississippi State football fans.

While he doesn’t have experience coaching in the SEC, he’s spent a ton of time in the South and has familiarity with fertile recruiting ground in Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. He has also coached at Delta State and knows the state of Mississippi.

Those sorts of connections should help get talent flowing to Starkville.

The balanced nature of his offense would likely take a bit to implement given the fact that this roster is still built to run Mike Leach’s pure Air Raid, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t eventually produce at a high level within a year or so. Guys like Chris Parson, Creed Whittemore, and Seth Davis should be able to thrive in Chadwell’s schemes.