Jeff Lebby hired as Mississippi State head coach
Mississippi State has found its next head coach in Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.
Mississippi State athletics director Zac Selmon, who worked with Lebby during his time as the deputy athletics director at Oklahoma, officially announced the hire Sunday. Lebby, 39, is considered to be one of college football rising play callers, having spent time under offensive minds like Josh Heupel, Lane Kiffin and his father-in-law Art Briles.
"As we continue to invest in excellence at Mississippi State, the future of our football program is incredibly bright with the addition of Jeff Lebby at the helm," Selmon said via press release. "I am confident that Jeff is the perfect leader for the next exciting chapter of Mississippi State football. He will bring an exciting brand of football, elite student-athlete development, and a winning culture to Starkville, all while doing so with high integrity. He is a dynamic recruiter who will attract an elite coaching staff and the nation's top talent. There is no doubt in my mind that Jeff's leadership, vision, and resilient work ethic will take this program to incredible heights. We could not be more excited to welcome Jeff, his wife Staley, and their children Kora and Kane to the Mississippi State family. It is a great time to be a Bulldog and only going to get better."
Lebby, an Oklahoma graduate and student assistant from 2002-06, has served as his alma mater's offensive coordinator under Brent Venables for the past two seasons. Under Lebby, quarterback Dillon Gabriel finished second in the Big 12 in passing yards in 2022, and first in 2023. His 2022 Sooner offense finished with college football's #33 offense at 32.8 points per game, and they ranked #3 in 2023 with 43.2 points per game, including three 60+ point performances.
Lebby previously spent time as the offensive coordinator under Heupel at UCF in 2019 after a season as the quarterbacks coach, and spent two years as Kiffin's offensive coordinator at Ole Miss from 2020-21.
The 2019 UCF offense, led by a true freshman Gabriel, electrified the AAC for 43.4 points per game which ranked fifth nationally. Gabriel finished third in the conference in passing to propel the Knights to a 10-3 record.
At Ole Miss, Lebby called a top 25 scoring offense in back-to-back seasons and coached quarterback Matt Corral to a seventh place Heisman finish in 2021. The 2020 Rebels scored 39.2 points per game which ranked 14th nationally and third in the SEC while Corral finished with the third most passing yards in the conference. In 2021, Ole Miss finished with a 10-3 record and a Sugar Bowl appearance, scoring 33.7 points per game to finish 24th nationally and fourth in the SEC.
Lebby got his start as a college football coach in 2008 at Baylor, where served as an offensive quality control coach. He was promoted to running backs coach in 2012 and then to passing game coordinator in 2015.
While at Baylor, the Bears finished with a top five scoring offense in college football each season from 2011-2015. The dynamic Briles offense produced the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. Lebby was dismissed by the university in 2016, as he was named by Baylor student Dolores Lozano as one of multiple coaches who did not take action against running back Devin Chafin after she reported that he had physically assaulted her.
In 2017, Lebby served as the offensive coordinator at Southeastern University, an NAIA school in Lakeland, Fla. He orchestrated the NAIA's highest scoring offense, and helped lead the Fire to a Mid-South Sun Division title and a playoff berth during his lone season.
Lebby replaces Zach Arnett, who was fired ten games into his first season as Mississippi State head coach. The Bulldogs finished the 2023 season with a 5-7 record, snapping a 13-year bowl streak. The Mississippi State offense averaged 21.8 points per game which ranked 107th out of 133 FBS teams, and scored just 12.6 points against SEC opponents.
"Being the head coach at Mississippi State is the opportunity of a lifetime," Lebby said. "My family and I are fired up to engrain ourselves in this community, build relationships with our players, and hit the recruiting trail. This is a special place with special people and a football program with a storied tradition. I couldn't be more thrilled to add our dynamic offensive scheme to an NFL powerhouse with a nationally regarded history of elite defensive play. I am truly honored and appreciative of Athletics Director Zac Selmon and President Dr. Mark Keenum for this special opportunity. I can't wait to lead Mississippi State football into the future, while competing in college football's premier conference. Hail State!"
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