Early Spring Impressions From Zach Arnett
March 28, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman
Mississippi State’s defensive coordinator (and now safeties coach) shares his thoughts on his new role, several of his players and more.
STARKVILLE – Things have changed for Zach Arnett. Sort of.
Mississippi State is now two practices into the spring. That means Arnett, who remains MSU's defensive coordinator, is now two practices into his tenure as the safeties coach of the Bulldogs after previously overseeing linebackers.
How big of an adjustment is it for Arnett? Not all that big at all to hear him tell it. Especially considering Arnett is still orchestrating the entirety of things on his side of the football, plus has the help of one of the most respected coaches in all of college football, Tony Hughes, right there with him guiding players in the secondary.
"Oh, I have the same duties – coordinating the defense, calling it," Arnett explains. "Obviously [when it comes to coaching the safeties], Coach Hughes probably has more years of experience coaching DBs in the SEC than [most anyone]. I bet there's very few guys coaching DB in the SEC who have more years. So, I just lean on him for all the stuff I don't know."
Perhaps there's a thing or two for Arnett to pick up as a safeties coach, but in general, there's no arguing the fact he already knows good defense when he sees it. He's guided Mississippi State to a Top-30 finish in total defense in both of his first two seasons with the Bulldogs.
So, Arnett's opinion when discussing defenders obviously carries a lot of weight. Not to mention, Arnett is a straight shooter. He's not one to mince words or refrain from speaking his mind.
Given that context, here's a few of Arnett's early-spring observations on the guys within his new position group, as well as several other Bulldogs on the defensive side of the football.
Arnett on where West Virginia transfer Jackie Matthews might end up playing: "He has position versatility. He's played some corner. So, it wouldn't be foreign to him if he got thrown out there a little bit. We're getting him reps at safety now because we have a lot of assignments in that position group. The more reps you get there, the assignment gets easier. We'll see. We've got a lot of guys where it'll take time the rest of the spring to figure out where their home will actually be and what their position is when season time comes. But it's a good opportunity to build depth and give a lot of guys experience."
Arnett on who'll step up to fill the shoes of Martin Emerson at cornerback: "Well I watched [Emerson] at Pro Day and I don't feel like I see Martin Emerson running around out here [at our practices] right now. [Emerson] had a phenomenal workout [at Pro Day]. I think he's going to prove to a lot of people why we thought so highly of him here. He's going to have a great NFL career. But we've got a lot of guys battling. We don't expect them to be Martin Emerson right off the bat. We just need them to be by [the first weekend of the season]."
Arnett on second-year safety Corey Ellington: "Corey looks good. He's got a lot of experience still to gain and a lot of assignments to get better at, but he just needs reps, you know? He's a young guy, but he's not afraid to get out here and run around and change directions and go chase the football. Usually, that's a pretty good start."
Arnett on highly-thought-of junior college transfer DeCarlos Nicholson and other transfers: "[Nicholson looks] good. All those guys, those three mid-year [enrollee] guys – DeCarlos, [Marcus] Banks, Jackie [Matthews] – they all flash why we recruited them. They can run. They can change directions. They can get in and out of breaks. That's about what you can evaluate right here in helmet practices. So, we're looking forward to the 13 remaining [practices this spring] we've got with those guys."
Arnett on defensive lineman Jordan Davis coming back from last season's injury: "Now that I'm more [coaching] in the secondary, I'm even more excited that Jordan's back because he makes all those guys back there, he makes their jobs a little bit easier if he can do what we expect him to do. The combination of him, [Cameron] Young, [Jaden] Crumedy, [Nathan] Pickering and De'Monte Russell, Randy Charlton – all those guys…When I see our D-line, standing there from behind, I go, 'Man, that's a good-looking group. That's how you want them to look.' So, hopefully they don't prove me wrong, but we're very excited about that group."
Arnett on linebacker Jett Johnson's next steps: "Just improve his game, just like that whole linebacker group. Tyrus [Wheat], him, [Nathaniel] Watson – we need them all to take their games to another level. But they're good football players. They know what to do. At this point, they're not getting comfortable with the assignments or anything like that. They already know what to do. We're throwing them around to different positions so they can get a little work at some spots they haven't played very much so hopefully, if an unfortunate situation arises during the season where you lost one, you have some depth built up."
Arnett on DeShawn Page and other linebackers: "You mention DeShawn, I'll be the first one to say, I actually think DeShawn didn't get enough playing time last year. You see what he flashes on clips when you're scouting the season and some of the good plays he had, then you see him flash stuff out here [at practice]. It's a good thing [linebackers coach Matt Brock] has that [whole position group now]. He'll make sure he gets him out on the field more because I did a poor job of that last year. But we need those guys to take the next step. Then a guy like Tyrus [Wheat] – Sam linebacker for us. He plays the edge a lot. Now we're going to see if he can play a little more traditional off-the-ball, inside linebacker role for us to so that way, in the season, you can move guys all over the place and they have a wide variety of skills."
Arnett on cornerback Emmanuel Forbes possibly taking on a bigger leadership role: "I think Forbes just needs to show up and be the football player he's capable of being. I think I've said a lot, the leadership thing and all that talk stuff, I think that sounds good in these situations, but the guys in the locker room [know]. Cam Young, he doesn't say a word when he's out here, but everyone knows he's a leader because you watch him play and you go, 'That's the most consistent and reliable guy we've probably got on our defense.' And there's a whole host of other guys who kind of fit that billing too. That talk stuff is cheap. [Forbes] just needs to show up and be the Forbes he's capable of being. When he does speak, he'll command attention."
If Arnett gets his way, come the fall, the entire Bulldog defense will be a group that is collectively garnering positive attention. There's plenty to do before then though.
The work continues on Tuesday when the next of Mississippi State's 15 spring practices begins.
