Mississippi State is expected to hire Syracuse offensive line coach and longtime friend of Zach Arnett, Mike Schmidt, to the coaching staff, according to On3's Matt Zenitz.

Zach Arnett had previously hired former Auburn offensive line coach Will Friend to the coaching staff. The assumption was that Friend would coach the offensive line. The school did not announce an official title for Friend, and it now appears that Friend will coach the offensive guards and centers while Schmidt will coach the offensive tackles and tight ends, Stefan Krajisnik of the Clarion Ledger reports.

Schmidt spent the past two seasons at Syracuse and served as the run game coordinator in 2022. Behind Schmidt's offensive line, Syracuse running back Sean Tucker led the ACC in rushing yards in 2021 and finished 3rd in rushing in 2022.

A 2009 San Diego State graduate, Schmidt joined the Aztecs coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2009 before being promoted to offensive line coach in 2012. He served in that role for nine seasons, coaching alongside Zach Arnett for eight of those seasons.

While Schmidt was coaching the offensive line, San Diego State was known for its dynamic rushing attack. Schmidt's offensive line paved the way for Rashaad Penny to lead the nation with 2,027 rushing yards in 2017 before being drafted in the first round by the Seahawks, and Donnel Pumphrey remains the all-time rushing leader in the FBS with 6,405 yards from 2013-2016.

Schmidt coached 15 different offensive linemen to earn All-Mountain West honors during his tenure at San Diego State, while two Syracuse linemen have earned All-ACC honors in his two seasons there.

Arnett's on-field staff is nearly finalized, and there could be an official announcement later today. Appalachian State's Kevin Barbay was hired as the offensive coordinator/QBs coach, and Utah's Chad Bumphis returned to his alma mater to coach wide receivers. Running backs coach remains a question, and it could come down to Tony Hughes and Jason Washington.

Matt Brock was promoted to defensive coordinator and will remain as the linebackers coach, while cornerbacks coach Darcel McBath and special teams coordinator Eric Mele are expected to stay in their roles. Georgia Tech defensive line coach David Turner is back for a third tenure in Starkville. Safeties coach remains the only open spot on defense, and it is expected that defensive analyst Brett Dewhurst will be promoted to that role.