Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby Ready to Embrace the Mayo Madness-Win or Lose His Appetite
Jeff Lebby doesn’t like mayonnaise. Not on a sandwich, not in a salad-just not at all. But come January 2, if Mississippi State knocks off Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Bulldogs’ head coach might find himself wearing a whole tub of it.
And strangely enough, he’s all in.
“I’ve never been more excited about the opportunity to have it dumped on me,” Lebby said, smiling through the irony.
That’s the tradition in Charlotte, where the Duke’s Mayo Bowl has turned postgame celebrations into condiment chaos. The winning coach gets a full mayo bath-a now-iconic moment that’s become one of college football’s most offbeat and beloved rituals.
The Origins of the Mayo Mayhem
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl hasn’t always been this… creamy. Formerly the Belk Bowl, it rebranded in 2020, but it wasn’t until 2021 that the mayo dump officially became part of the show. South Carolina’s Shane Beamer was the first to take the plunge, followed by Maryland’s Mike Locksley in 2022, West Virginia’s Neal Brown in 2023, and Minnesota’s PJ Fleck in 2024.
Along with the gloppy glory comes a $10,000 donation to a charity of the winning coach’s choice-a nice touch that pairs well with the spectacle.
“It’s one of the most unique things in college football,” said Miller Yoho, director of communications and marketing for the Charlotte Sports Foundation, which puts on the event.
And he’s not wrong. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl leans all the way into the bit.
Mayo Shots, Mascots, and Maniacs
This isn’t just a football game-it’s a full-blown mayo festival.
In the stands, fans don’t just cheer. They eat spoonfuls of mayo straight from the jar.
Some take it a step further, downing mayo shots like they’re at a tailgate in an alternate universe. There’s a mayo-eating contest, of course, and a mascot-yes, The Mayo Man-who patrols the stadium dressed like a giant jar, making sure nobody’s plate is lacking in the signature spread.
Even the broadcast team gets in on the action. During the game, announcers sample everything from mayo-drenched fries to pepperoni rolls, all in the name of thematic commitment. Former Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen was on the call for last year’s game between North Carolina and West Virginia, so there’s even a bit of Bulldog lineage in the booth.
This year, the bowl introduced a new wrinkle: the Mayo Maniacs. Think of it as a dedicated supporters’ section, soccer-style, but with more condiments and fewer shirts. According to Yoho, 75 tickets sold out in just 24 hours-before the teams were even announced.
“These are people who bought tickets only with the promise of we’re going to feed you and you get to have as much fun as possible as a Duke’s Mayo Maniac,” Yoho said. “It’s meant to be like a soccer-type shirtless football fan experience.”
In other words: chaos, but make it creamy.
Bulldogs Players: Hold the Mayo, Please
Lebby may be willing to take one for the team, but his players? Not so much.
Quarterback Kamario Taylor made his stance crystal clear.
“I don’t like mayo,” he said. “I’m going to clown him for sure.
He’s going to get mayo poured on him. I just hope it doesn’t stink.
I don’t mess around with mayo.”
Linebacker Nic Mitchell didn’t hold back either.
“I hate mayo,” Mitchell said. “It makes me cringe. I just hope he closes his mouth when the mayo is getting poured on him.”
So no, there’s no team-wide love for the condiment. But there is a shared understanding: if mayo is flying, it means they’ve won.
And for a Mississippi State team that’s looking to end its season on a high note, a mayonnaise shower for their head coach might just be the perfect way to celebrate-whether they like the taste or not.
Because in Charlotte, when you win, you don’t just lift a trophy. You wear it.