It's a new era for the Mississippi State football team as Jeff Lebby looks to lead the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The 2023 season was disappointing and it saw an early exit for Zach Arnett, who was fired in the midst of his first season in Starkville (it was a weird situation that led to his hire given the tragic circumstances involving Mike Leach's death and the messy power transition that followed).
Athletic director Zac Selmon, who was then presented with the way to shape the future of Mississippi State football, decided to go with someone familiar to him due to his connections with the Oklahoma Sooners. And so, Selmon picked up "offensive mastermind" Jeff Lebby, then OU's offensive coordinator.
Now, Lebby is looking to use his offensive pedigree and find a way to shape the Bulldogs into a program that is familiar to him. He's someone who operates a brilliant and fun offense and he knows how to recruit well.
Mississippi State football recruiting: 2024 transfer portal tracker
Plus he was able to assemble a coaching staff that has a united and cohesive vision.
So, as Lebby looks to remodel the Mississippi State football program, he'll try to bring in talent that matches his vision. That includes a number of players through the transfer portal, which is crucial to college football in this day and age.
This is Lebby's first order of business. He's got to find a way to effectively mine the transfer portal and find players who can be instant upgrades at positions of need. With a brand new offense and a roster that was a bit of a mess, that means a number of players will arrive in and also leave from Starkville
This is obviously something that could change pretty regularly, so we're going to start going through all of this and keep it updated as we go. Buckle up, folks. There's about to be a lot of change with the Mississippi State football roster over the next few months.