Mississippi State's Cohesiveness, Perseverance on Strong Display Heading Into the Zach Arnett Era

Mississippi State football was rattled by the sudden and unexpected passing of head coach Mike Leach on the night of Dec. 12.

In the midst of such a tragic event, there was never a thought of not playing the upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl, because it's what Leach would want the team to do in this situation. One of his most common sayings, and one that has become synonymous with the Air Raid offense and its philosophy, is to "play the next play."

That's exactly what the Bulldogs are doing as they continue to remember Leach at the dawn of the Zach Arnett era after the esteemed defensive coordinator was promoted to head coach this month.

Practices were never halted as the team prepares to end off an exciting 8-4 season with a bang against Illinois in Tampa, Florida on Jan. 2, but it goes far beyond the admirable level of perseverance and togetherness the Bulldogs currently on the field have shown.

Ahead of Early Signing Day, highly-touted quarterback prospect Chris Parson led a call to action for the members of Mississippi State's 2023 class that finished in the top 25 nationally.

And they've got a lot to be proud of in a way that clearly hit home for Parson.

"We are literally the last class that Coach (Mike) Leach recruited," Parson wrote out in a text message. "We are the last guys that he wanted to join his program. We should wear that as a badge of honor."

Arnett also spoke to what the class represented on a personal level when he met with the media after Early Signing Day.

"I think today’s success, the class we put together, the guys we have in it, who we had committed prior to the tragic news of Coach Leach’s passing, and stayed with us sends quite the statement about the young men we were recruiting, the families they come from, and says a whole lot about the entire program," Arnett said.

While Leach played an important role and will forever be recognized by these recruits and beyond for the legend he was, the players who furthered their pledge to the Bulldogs are Mississippi State through and through.

"The coaches that went on the road, got into the homes and spent time with them, and reaffirmed why the guys were committed to us in the first place. It says a lot about our locker room, those guys developed relationships with the young men on our team, and nothing changed," Arnett said. "It was a constant in the locker room and they want to be part of his program because they relate to the guys in the locker room. They’re Mississippi State kind of guys."

Though the waters are a bit rough and there will be some of that to continue to work through as MSU moves forward with change, it's easy to be optimistic about what this team can accomplish in the future just because of who these players have shown to be as people and their appreciation for one another.

And it's only fitting that the team will end off a season that Leach was at the helm of in the beginning in a stadium with a pirate ship and a chance to seal up one last victory for "The Pirate" himself.