Mississippi State football is making a major change to its coaching staff. After two years of leading the Bulldog defense, defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler has been fired. It's a move that was heavily anticipated in Starkville after consecutive awful seasons on the defensive side of the ball.
In 2024 Mississippi State allowed over 34 points per game and 456 yards per game. Those numbers improved to 29 points and 406 yards allowed on average in 2025, but after allowing 35+ points in five-straight games to close out the season, it was painfully clear that a change had to be made. The program could not move forward being that inept on one side of the ball.
Mississippi State targeting former head coach Zach Arnett as next defensive coordinator
Moving on from Coleman Hutzler is not at all a surprise. What is a massive shock, however, is who head coach Jeff Lebby is reportedly targeting to next lead the Bulldog defense. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, former Mississippi State head coach and defensive coordinator Zach Arnett is the leading target to become the Bulldogs' next defensive coordinator.
Sources: Mississippi State defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler has been informed he’s not returning for the Bulldogs next season. Mississippi State is expected to target former head coach and DC Zach Arnett to be the defensive coordinator. pic.twitter.com/YiMOxXn0hT
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 6, 2025
Zach Arnett spent four seasons in Starkville from 2020-2023. His first three years were as the program's defensive coordinator under late head coach Mike Leach. During that time, his defense ranked in the Top 5 of the SEC in total defense each season. The 2022 unit allowed just 23.1 points per game, the program's best mark in the last seven seasons.
Following Leach's tragic passing, Arnett was promoted to head coach. His tenure began with an emotional triumph in the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl. The 2023 season, however, did not go to plan. Arnett's controversial decision to move away from the Air Raid offense backfired, and an experienced Bulldogs' roster struggled. Following a 51-10 blowout loss to Texas A&M, Zach Arnett was fired, just ten games into the season.
Since his departure, Zach Arnett has bounced around a few jobs. He served as a defensive analyst at Ole Miss in 2024. Going into the 2025 season, he was hired by former Bulldogs' coach Dan Mullen to be the defensive coordinator at UNLV, but he resigned due to personal reasons in April. He then joined Florida State as an analyst.
If Arnett is indeed the hire for Jeff Lebby, it would certainly be an interesting move. It is incredibly rare to see a coach return as a coordinator to the program that fired him as a head coach, especially just two years later. Still, Zach Arnett was highly successful coaching defense in Starkville. After the last two seasons, Lebby needs someone who has proven they are capable of running that side of the ball, and Arnett fits that mold.