Mississippi State's Zach Arnett Says He's Not Trying to 'Duplicate' Mike Leach

Zach Arnett was named Mississippi State's new head football coach after Mike Leach passed away back in December of 2022.

Leach led the Bulldogs to a 19-17 record during his tenure before passing away while preparing for the team's third bowl game appearance under his leadership, finishing his coaching career with a 158-107 overall record

Leach was known for being the mastermind behind the Air Raid offense, a pass heavy, spread offense he developed with former football coach Hal Mumme while Mumme and Leach worked together across different teams during the 1990's. The Air Raid changed the passing game in college football and broke various NCAA records.

While remnants of the Air Raid remain, coach Arnett will be taking the team in a new direction, saying in an interview with ESPN that trying to imitate Leach and his system could come across as fake.

"Who's going to duplicate Mike Leach?" Arnett told ESPN earlier this week. "There's no chance in hell."

Arnett continued, "We're not running the pure Air Raid that we ran then, and I don't think [Leach] would necessarily have a problem with that because he would want me to run a program that's in the vision that I see as best fit for its future."

Arnett, who took on the mantle of head coach back in December shortly after Leach's passing, is already 1-0 as a head coach following the Bulldogs' 19-10 victory over Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 2.

Arnett and the Bulldogs have also been hard at work completely revamping the team's coaching staff, hiring former Appalachian State and Central Michigan offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay as the Bulldogs' new offensive coordinator.

Barbay runs a more evenly paced offensive system, with a vertical passing game and a more traditional running game, much different than the Air Raid system run under Leach the past few years.

The offense will also see the return of quarterback Will Rogers, who finished eighth in FBS in passing yards while also surpassing Aaron Murray as the SEC all-time leader in completions.

Under coach Arnett, the Bulldogs will have a fresh new look when they open the 2023 football season on September 3, when they host Southeastern Louisiana.