After Zach Arnett replaced the late Mike Leach as head coach in the first season, Mississippi State dismisses him.
Zach Arnett was fired by Mississippi State on Monday, less than a year after taking over the Bulldogs following the untimely death of Mike Leach from a heart condition.
Arnett leaves the university with a 5-6 record, which included a 4-6 record this season with the team tied for bottom place in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference at 1-6.
Greg Knox, a senior offensive analyst who has spent 28 of his 35 years as a coach in the SEC, will take over as interim head coach for the balance of the 2023 campaign, the institution stated.
There are still games for Mississippi State versus rival Mississippi and Southern Mississippi.
The 37-year-old Arnett was on the first of four-year contracts at $3 million a year including incentives. The contract’s duration was the longest that Mississippi state law permitted.
As the first head coach of Hispanic ancestry in league history and the youngest in the SEC, Arnett made a commitment to uphold the same level of effort last summer. With a demanding schedule that included top-ranked LSU and Alabama, Mississippi State was unable to achieve that objective—especially in light of the injury to record-breaking quarterback Will Rogers.
In a statement, athletics director Zac Selmon said he had come to the conclusion that in order for the football program to advance and be in the best possible position for success, a leadership change was required. c
