After a 2-10 campaign in 2024, many expected to see Mississippi State football make staff changes. But for the first month following the end of the season, no changes had been made. Now with the new year approaching, Jeff Lebby is choosing to switch things up, and he's starting along the offensive line.
Colorado's Phil Loadholt taking over for Cody Kennedy as Mississippi State's offensive line coach
After just one season in Starkville, Cody Kennedy is out as the Bulldogs' offensive line coach. State was one of the worst teams in the SEC in pass protection, allowing 3.17 sacks per game, and their 138 rush yards per game was easily the worst ground attack a Lebby offense has ever fielded.
To replace Kennedy, Jeff Lebby is bringing in Colorado offensive line coach Phil Loadholt. Steve Robertson of 247 Sports first reported the news.
Mississippi State is hiring Colorado offensive line coach Phil Loadholt, sources tell @ScoutSteveR and me for @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 29, 2024
Before Colorado, the ex-Oklahoma and NFL offensive lineman was on staff at Oklahoma and Ole Miss, where he worked with Jeff Lebby.… https://t.co/OheRuqEDVC pic.twitter.com/lEcuLmOfFX
Phil Loadholt spent one season with Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes. In that one year, he helped drastically improve the Colorado offensive line. They allowed more than a sack fewer per game compared to 2023. Colorado still struggled to run the football (not that they tried running much to begin with), but they doubled their number of 100-yard rushing games and saw better production out of their running backs.
Loadholt also developed a good reputation as a recruiter during his short time in Boulder. He helped greatly improve the talent in the Colorado offensive line room both through the transfer portal and high school ranks, actually beating out Mississippi State for a 4-star signee in Carde Smith in the 2025 class.
Jeff Lebby has a long history with Phil Loadholt. Loadholt got his start in college coaching as an offensive assistant with Jeff Lebby at UCF. He would follow Lebby to both Ole Miss and Oklahoma, working as an offensive analyst before finally getting the opportunity to work as an OL coach this past season. Prior to his coaching career, Loadholt was a standout lineman at Oklahoma and spent seven season in the NFL as the starting right tackle for the Minnesota Vikings.
This looks to be a good move for Mississippi State. Loadholt is obviously close with Lebby and has deep familiarity with his system. He held a big role in turning things around at Colorado in 2024 and has done good work as a recruiter. This is a good step towards the Bulldogs fielding a more complete and consistent offense in 2025.