Mississippi State fires Zach Arnett
Mississippi State has fired head coach Zarch Arnett after just 11 games.
He finished with a 5-6 record but an awful 1-6 in the SEC this year, where the only highlight was a 7-3 victory over Arkansas (who might lose their head coach soon too!).
Arnett was paid $3 million. He’ll still be owed $4.5 million – chump change compared to the amount owed to Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M – half of what is left on its deal, according to MSU’s 247 page.
The former defensive coordinator had one of the hardest jobs in college football this year – coming in after the death of head coach Mike Leach, who passed away in December.
Honestly, he should never have been given the job after the bowl victory in Tampa. He should have been celebrated, given the 1-0, and Mississippi State should have gone their merry way. The recruits may have left the ship and there would have been some transferring, but Arnett could have easily slid back into the DC’s job and the new man in charge taken over.
SO WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT HEAD COACH?
Mississippi State might not be the most glamorous job in college football. Starkville’s not exactly the Destination Wedding that Athens or Oxford is, and Leach was a miracle worker not only in recruiting but more so in the transfer portal.
Personally, here’s who MSU should go for:
- Jamie Chadwell (Liberty): Liberty hasn’t lost under Chadwell. His offenses are fun. He can recruit the South, and his fun-like intensity can catch on anywhere.
- Brian Hartline (Ohio State OC): One of the best OCs in the country. Good at dealing with crazy people. Recruits some of the best offensive talent in the country.
- Lane Leipold (Kansas): Give him the keys to the kingdom to turn things around like he did at Kansas.
Oh, and here are some long shots….
- Tom Herman (FAU, former Texas head coach): Good at coaching big programs, has probably grown up since his Austin days, where he had a lot of tiffs with boosters.
- Dan Mullen (TV): Mullen moved to Florida, because he was always looking for a way out of there. Obviously, there’s bad blood. But Mullen’s a great offensive talent, and I’m sure he can make up and stay nice if he wants to.