Mississippi State’s five-game skid hasn’t pushed Jeff Lebby toward an in-season shakeup.
After the Bulldogs fell 25-23 to Vanderbilt, Lebby made it clear on Nov. 9 that he is not looking at staff changes while the regular season still has three games left. Instead, he said the program will be reviewed once the year is over.
“At the end of the year, just like after Year 1 and after Year 2, we will look at everything to make sure we're continuing to move this program forward the right way and continue to build it the right way around (Kamario Taylor),” Lebby said. “That’s always going to be the case. Right now, it is learning from what’s gone on and fighting like heck every single day to change the outcome on Saturday morning.”
The Bulldogs are 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the SEC, and Lebby’s record in three seasons now sits at 11-23 overall and 3-20 in conference play. Mississippi State is set to host Auburn on Nov. 14 at Davis Wade Stadium. Kickoff is 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
Lebby has never made an in-season coaching change during his time at Mississippi State, and his approach has generally leaned toward keeping things together rather than tearing them down. After the 2024 season, when MSU finished 2-10, the only assistant let go was offensive line coach Cody Kennedy. Defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler stayed on even though the Bulldogs allowed an SEC-worst 34.1 points per game.
The next offseason brought a much bigger reset. Mississippi State improved to 5-8 last season but managed only one SEC win, and Lebby responded with multiple staff changes. Zach Arnett was brought in as defensive coordinator to replace Hutzler, the staff was expanded, and four other assistants were not retained.
This year’s losing streak has come with a major blow at quarterback. Kamario Taylor’s injury led to season-ending foot surgery on Oct. 28, and Mississippi State’s offense has averaged just 6.3 points per game in the three games he has missed.
There are also contract questions looming for part of the staff. Three assistants are in the final year of their deals, according to preseason contract information.
Offensive line coach Phil Loadholt’s contract expires after the season. He is the highest-paid offensive assistant on the staff at $700,000 for 2026, while Arnett is the only assistant who will make more at $1.15 million in 2026.
Running backs coach Anthony Tucker and special teams coordinator Cliff Odom are the other two assistants whose contracts are set to expire.
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