'We Need All 13 Practices Left and Then Some': How The New Coaching Dynamics Will Help the Team During Spring Practice

Two spring practices in, Mississippi State football head coach Zach Arnett spoke on what improvements are needed before the team is ready for the 2023 season.

With a new season for Mississippi State football comes a new coach and new players as the winds of change continue to blow in Starkville. 

The Bulldogs have taken on some talented freshmen and transfers who are starting to acclimate to how the team plays. 

Since these guys are still fresh and without their official numbers, the coaches decided it best to take this as an opportunity to spark the competitive nature within the team in a unique way -- giving them odd jersey numbers that may not necessarily be the ones they desire.

"I told the team, you know know, we hear this a lot in football, but you know ‘Everything earned nothing is given’," Arnett said.

"It would seem to me that should apply to number policy too. Usually most guys come in thinking they're getting the single digits, the 21s all that kind of so-called ‘sexy numbers’ and you try everything you can- the player makes the number and not the other way around but obviously it's never that way."

Arnett describes the strategy as making every new player "as angry as possible" from the first day.

"We thought it would be a good idea as a staff to try to have every newcomer to the program as angry as possible on Day 1, because they’re in the worst looking number possible," Arnett said. "I just so happen to believe you actually play this game a little better when you happen to have a little anger inside of you. And hopefully it’s a little extra motivation to perform better at practice."

It will definitely be an interesting competition between the newest transfers and freshmen to see who gets to wear which number on game day. And Arnett will be looking intently at who gets fired up the most for what they want and how hard they will work to get it.

Alongside Arnett, the entire coaching staff has been preparing and working in new positions to prepare for the fall. Arnett is especially pleased to have a strong staff working with him to acclimate newcomers and improve the condition of the team.

"We’re really proud of the fact that when you tabulate the years of SEC experience between the full-time staff and in the sports staff," Arnett said. "The guys off the field, there’s over a hundred years of experience in the SEC. I have many shortcomings and I got to hire a stable of guys around me who can make up for that."

Defensive coordinator Matt Brock is one of those.

"I’ve been working with him on a daily basis for the last three years," Arnett said. "Anyone who knows him knows he’s the most detailed-oriented guy you’ve ever been around and so I think he’s going to take our defense to new heights."

There's still plenty of work to be done throughout the spring and more to tweak up in the fall, but it's clear this team is on a strong trajectory and that Arnett has things headed in the right direction with a clear plan.