Maria Lysaker / USA Today Sports
Jeff Lebby Makes Several Changes To Mississippi State's Coaching Staff
The Jeff Lebby era has arrived at Mississippi State, and as we inch closer and closer to the early signing period right around the corner, Lebby is already hard at work at putting together his new coaching staff in Starkville.
As previously reported, wide receiver coach Chad Bumphis will be retained under Lebby, he announced on social media. Bumphis was a former wide receiver for the Bulldogs during the Dan Mullen era and his status with the program will extensively help with Mississippi State's recruiting.
In addition to Bumphis, the Bulldogs are also expected to retain defensive line coach David Turner under Lebby's new staff. Turner, in his third stint with the Bulldogs, is a well respected figure within both the Mississippi State and SEC communities and has produced several NFL talent during his coaching career, including Fletcher Cox and Jeffery Simmons.
Not all of the members from Zach Arnett's staff will be retained, however, Strength and conditioning coach Tyson Brown is expected to be let go, Steve Robertson of Genespage.com reports. Brown has been with the program since the beginning of the Mike Leach era, but the Bulldogs are expected to go in a different direction.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, who led the Bulldog offense during the 2023 season, will also not be retained under Jeff Lebby, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN reports. Barbay's offense suffered injuries to key starters and ranked dead last in the SEC in points per game (21.83).
Although the offensive coordinator position is now vacant, Lebby previously stated in his introductory press conference that he plans to call plays on the offense. One would imagine that he will hire someone that knows his system and matches his coaching philosophies.
There is also an expectation that at least four staff members from Oklahoma's coaching staff, Phil Loadholt, Benton Duby, Tanner Schafer and Matt Holecek, will follow Lebby to Starkville to join his new regime. Holecek previously worked with Lebby when the two coached at Ole Miss.
