Mississippi State Hot List: 10 Coaching Candidates to Replace Zach Arnett
Athletic director Zac Selmon hasn't been on the job even a year, but will now have to make maybe the most important decision of of his career with the hiring of a new football coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Last year, when he was hired in January, Selmon inherited Zach Arnett. It was roughly a month after Mississippi State president Mark Keenum and interim athletic director Bracky Brett promoted the defensive coordinator after Mike Leach died of a heart condition.
Selmon says he's set to begin a nationwide search, but some of his candidates are probably not too far from Starkville or already have some ties to either the program or state. Moreover, he was previously deputy athletics director for external engagement and advancement at Oklahoma, plus is the son of Dewey Selmon and the nephew of first overall NFL Draft pick Lee Roy Selmon and Lucious Selmon.
For such a high-profile position, a little familiarity can go a long way. Also of note, the early signing period in football begins Dec. 20.
Here are 10 names to keep an eye on:
Jamey Chadwell: The first-year head coach at Liberty has yet to lose and at 10-0 this season has his team ranked in the AP Top 25. He's previously been the head football coach at North Greenville (2009-11), Delta State (2012), Charleston Southern (2013-16), and Coastal Carolina, first as an interim head coach in 2017 and then promoted to the job 2019-2022.
Kasey Dunn: He joined the Oklahoma State staff in 2011, promoted to associate head coach in 2019, and named offensive coordinator in 2020. He has NFL experience as the running backs coach with the Seattle Seahawks (2018-19), but he's never been a head coach. The popular belief is that it's long overdue.
Willie Fritz: Was hired as Tulane's head coach in 2015, and has led the Green Wave to four bowl games, including the Cotton Bowl last season where it edged Southern California 46-45. At 9-1 (with the lone loss ironically being to Ole Miss) Tulane is No. 17 in the latest AP Top 25.
Tom Herman: Urban Meyer's former offensive coordinator at Ohio State (2012-14) was subsequently hired by Houston (2015-16), which he led to its first American Athletic Conference title, and then Texas (2017-20), where his teams went 32-18. This season he's been the head coach at Florida Atlantic, which is 4-5. Herman's overall coaching record is 58-27.
Charles Huff: Was the running backs coach at Mississippi State in 2018. Was hired away by Nick Saban at Alabama, and then became the head coach at Marshall in 2021. His first two seasons ended with bowl games, and the 2022 team won at No. 8 Notre Dame, the Thundering Herd's first win over a top-10 team since 2003.
Rhett Lashlee: The 40-year-old is the head coach at Southern Methodist. He knows the SEC after serving as an assistant coach at both Auburn and Arkansas, and previously was as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Miami from 2020-21. However, with some serious money behind the program SMU is 8-2 this season and set to join the ACC in 2024.
Jeff Lebby: If Selmon opts for an Oklahoma connection, keep an eye on the Sooners' offensive coordinator. Lane Kiffin's former coordinator at Ole Miss was hired away by Brent Venables with a three-year contract for $5.7 million. Oklahoma is No. 4 nationally in total offensive, however things have soured a bit lately after back-to-back losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State.
Lance Leipold: Speaking of Kansas, the man who turned around the Jayhawks has his team at 7-3 this season and poised to play in a bowl game for the second straight season after a 13-year drought. He previously served as the head coach at Wisconsin–Whitewater (2007-14) and Buffalo (2015-20).
Sherrone Moore: If you watched the Michigan-Penn State game on Saturday, he's the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach serving as the interim head coach during Jim Harbaugh's suspension — the one who got so emotional in the postgame interview. The 37-year-old also has an Oklahoma connection as he was a guard for Bob Stoops.
Jon Sumrall: The head coach at Troy is 20-4 over the last two seasons, including 12-2 in 2022, when the Trojans beat UTSA in the Cure Bowl, 18-12. He knows the SEC both as a player and assistant coach at Kentucky, and also spent the 2018 season as the linebackers coach at Ole Miss.
