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Mississippi State football: 5 questions as Bulldogs reportedly target Jeff Lebby

By Ethan Lee

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby stands beside Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel (8) before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kansas State Wildcats at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.oujournal -- print1
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby stands beside Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel (8) before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kansas State Wildcats at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.oujournal -- print1 /
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Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby of the Mississippi Rebels converses with Matt Corral
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 06: Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby of the Mississippi Rebels converses with Matt Corral #2 prior to the game against the Louisville Cardinals in the Chick-fil-A Kick-Off Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 06, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

What will recruiting look like for Lebby and the Mississippi State Bulldogs?

Through much of his career up to this point, Lebby has worked all throughout the South and in Texas. As he leaves Oklahoma and arrives in Starkville, he’s going to have considerably less talent to work with. That’s not a knock on MSU, it’s just that Oklahoma is really good.

And he’s going to need to do something to very quickly adjust the roster to be tailored to his offense.

His time working with Brent Venables at OU might help in that regard because the Sooners had to very quickly restore that roster in order to find success. His recruiting connections in Mississippi (from his time at Ole Miss), Florida (from his time at UCF), and Texas (from his time at Baylor) will likely come in handy here.

If he can work the transfer portal and recruit well to Starkville, then it may not take so long to get the Bulldogs turned into a winning program.

Lebby will need to convince Mississippi high school stars to spurn Ole Miss and deter out-of-state poachers from swooping top in-state talent. His brand of football also packs obvious appeal to teenage offensive skill players.

And while winning recruiting in the state of Mississippi is important, it’s also worth noting how Lebby can bring in valuable out of state talent that MSU has struggled to attract in years past.

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