Report: Mississippi State football targeting Jeff Lebby to be next head coach

Mississippi State football might have its new head coach as Jeff Lebby will reportedly be the target to be the next head coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Things aren’t official yet and they won’t be until the Mississippi State football program officially confirms it, but the Bulldogs might have zeroed in on a target for their next head coach. According to a tweet (post?) from Ross Dellenger, the Bulldogs are focusing on Jeff Lebby in their coaching search.

It looks like Zac Selmon and the Mississippi State football program are taking a gamble here as this would be hiring a first time head coach to lead the Bulldogs. Rather than going with a proven head coach, MSU seems to like Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator, Jeff Lebby.

Following the firing of first year head coach Zach Arnett (previously the defensive coordinator for Mike Leach and the MSU Bulldogs who then stepped into the role following Leach’s death), Lebby is an interesting (and almost certainly controversial) choice.

Lebby’s name kept emerging as a curious potential candidate throughout the coaching search, largely due to the fact that MSU athletics director Zac Selmon has extensive ties to the Oklahoma Sooners, his previous place of employment.

When it comes to on the field matters, Lebby, on paper, is an impressive coordinator who has an extensive resume. His veer-and-shoot offense piles up yards and points at every stop he’s made. The son-in-law of Art Briles and a former Briles assistant, Lebby’s offense is reminiscent of what Briles ran at Baylor.

Mississippi State football reportedly targeting Jeff Lebby for MSU Bulldogs head coaching position

He’s been able to mentor talented quarterbacks like Matt Corral at Ole Miss and Dillon Gabriel at UCF and Oklahoma. Prior to coaching at OU, Lebby spent two years with Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. Before that, Lebby worked at UCF with Josh Heupel.

And of course, prior to UCF, Lebby was at Baylor with Briles.

That time with Baylor and Briles, and the subsequent defenses Lebby has made of Briles since then, have drawn scrutiny in Lebby’s direction.

Such as was the case with Lebby, Briles, and Oklahoma earlier this year.

But, Selmon and MSU seem intent on targeting Lebby here and trusting him to lead the Bulldogs forward. For a Mississippi State football seeking stability from a first-time head coach after whiffing badly on Joe Moorhead and Zach Arnett is a choice. It just happens to be that this is the choice the Bulldogs are making.

From the outside looking in, Selmon seems to believe this is best for the Bulldogs.

Lebby’s offense is effective, he has recruiting ties to Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Mississippi from his previous coaching gigs. He was instrumental in helping Brent Venables overhaul Oklahoma’s roster and turning the Sooners into a 10-win team once more.

MSU fans who wanted stability will likely critique the hire because of Lebby’s inexperience in leading a program. Folks who aren’t fond of his Baylor connections won’t be thrilled with the hire.

But this is the hire MSU is making. We’ll see how it turns out.