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Mississippi State

SEC coach takes emphatic stance on Mississippi State bringing Zach Arnett back to staff

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh05/26/26griffin_mcveigh

Mississippi State is going to have a familiar face on its sideline for the 2026 season. Zach Arnett is back in Starkville, joining Jeffy Lebby‘s staff as the defensive coordinator. Arnett held the same position in 2021 and 2022, only to get one season as the head coach in 2023. Not a move we see too often in college football. But at least one anonymous SEC coach likes it.

“Bringing back [defensive coordinator] Zach Arnett was a tremendous hire,” the anonymous coach said. “Every single time his defense shows up, it’s an anomaly for offenses. They don’t see it week to week, and the way they run it and the aggressiveness behind it create problems.

“The thing they don’t have there is the ability to sign two to four elite defensive tackles every year. Well, in that scheme, you just have to have one. They can have success without having to do what everybody else in the SEC has to do with a four-down front.” 

Plainly put, Mississippi State was not good on defense last season. From a scoring perspective alone, opponents averaged 30.2 points per game against the Bulldogs. This includes four nonconference games, where those teams scored a combined 47 points. SEC foes put up 37.9 points on average.

This is quite different than what Arnett was able to produce the last time he was Mississippi State’s DC. Back in 2022, when the Bulldogs won nine games, the scoring defense sat 40th in the country at 23.1 points per game.

At the very least, one anonymous SEC coach feels like Arnett is going to make opposing teams think. There is still talent on the roster, mainly highlighted by projected 2027 NFL Draft first-round cornerback Kelley Jones. Arnett is going to have some pieces to put together a decent unit.

Mississippi State will begin its second journey with Arnett on Sept. 5 against Louisiana-Monroe. One week later brings a trip into Big Ten country for a massive showdown vs. Minnesota.

In any case, if you want more comments from anonymous SEC coaches on various programs in the league, be sure the check out the Athlon Sports summer preview magazine. Athlon Sports publishes one of the most respected college football preview magazines in the industry. You can find content like their bold predictions for the SEC and much, much more inside. You can find more about buying a copy here.