'He's Our Guy'
November 27, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – Two weeks ago, Mississippi State director of athletics Zac Selmon announced a change in leadership within the football program would immediately begin hunting for the Bulldogs' next head coach.
At that time, Selmon stated he was searching for someone with "winning qualities, winning traits and someone that knows what winning looks like at the highest level."
On Monday evening, Selmon stood in front of a sea of MSU students, faculty, fans and alumni that braved the fridged temperatures in front of the Seal Football Complex and proudly announced the program's 36th head football coach, Jeff Lebby.
"He's our guy," Selmon said before the throng of Bulldog faithful rose to their feet and erupted in applause.
Lebby arrives in Starkville with a proven track record as one of the nation's top offensive coordinators, calling the shots during successful stints at Oklahoma, Ole Miss and UCF as well as at the NAIA level at Southeastern.
Lebby's offenses have finished in the top six nationally in three of the last five years, averaging over 500 yards. During that span,he has had five 3,000-yard passers and four 1,000-yard passers to his credit. In 2020, his offense broke the SEC record by producing 562.4 yards per game.
"Coach Lebby has an elite offensive mind," Selmon said. "He cares and develops his players and has a winning culture. That's a recipe for a lot of great success. I know that the best days are ahead for Mississippi State football. I'm beyond confident that Jeff is the perfect leader for the next exciting chapter and will bring an exciting brand of football, elite student-athlete development and a winning culture…In my mind, there's no better person to lead our program now and into the future."
It was the second head coaching hire Selmon has made since taking over the helm of MSU's Athletic Department in January and the first of this magnitude. Selmon stated that on Saturday he began having some clarity that Lebby, whom he worked alongside at Oklahoma in 2022, is perfect fit to guide the program moving forward and made his hire official the following day.
"We visited with a handful of candidates and met some great coaches, but throughout our process we came back to coach Lebby being the right person to lead our program at this time," Selmon said. "We couldn't be more excited about where we are going…He's a coach who wholeheartedly wants to be here at State. He's got a bold vision for the future of MSU football and where we can go as a program."
Lebby agreed to a four-year, $18.040 million contract that is loaded with incentives. And with the transfer portal opening soon and early signing day in less than a month, the 39-year-old from McGregor, Texas is ready to hit the ground running and taking on his new responsibilities which also includes hiring a staff and continuing relationship building with the returning Bulldogs.
"Having the ability to stand here today with incredible leadership that has great alignment and incredible trust gives me such peace to have a chance to go lead these guys the way that we need to lead them," Lebby said. "For that, I'm incredibly thankful for. I'm humbled for the opportunity to get to go do it."
Although Lebby's first team won't take the field for another 10 months, just his arrival in Starkville has signified a new chapter for Mississippi State and also rejuvenated a fan base that is fired up for his brand of football in the fall.
"It's a great time to be a Mississippi State Bulldog," Selmon said. "It will be electric. It will be dynamic. We will be resilient and dare I say, yeah, we'll be a little swaggy. That's what you can expect from Mississippi State football under coach Jeff Lebby."