Getting To Know Cody Kennedy
December 22, 2023 | Football
New Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby has collectively hired one of the top coaching staffs in all of college football.
In an effort to get to know Lebby's assistant coaches a little better, they each sat down with HailState.com staff writers Joel Coleman and Logan Lowery for a series of interviews that will be released over the coming days.
The interview series begins with offensive line coach Cody Kennedy.
Q: What is your connection to coach Lebby and how did you figure out that Mississippi State is the place that you needed to be?
Kennedy: "It was really the story of coaching and the coaching world. The world kind of shrinks when you get through your career and you meet different people. Coach (Kendal) Briles was at the University of Arkansas and we had a lot of success there and once I was coaching O-line for him, that kind of carried on and created a relationship with coach Lebby. He was in town a couple of times over the summer and we were able to build that relationship.
"Once he got the job here it was a really exciting situation and opportunity for me to link up with one of the best and young offensive minds in college football that has had success that's traveled to multiple locations. I think it's a really exciting time to be here."
Q: You've been in the SEC and are obviously familiar with what it's like in the trenches in this league. When you go out on the recruiting trail, what are you looking for? What does an O-lineman that plays for you need to look like?
Kennedy: "The Southeastern Conference in football is a big boy league. This game is won and lost in the trenches. Sometimes that's said in cliché terms but I truly think it comes to fruition in this league. You see it every Saturday on the main stage. When you're out on the road, I jokingly tell people you don't have to squint to find SEC linemen. You should be able to walk out onto the field and know who you're there to see.
"Obviously, there's a lot of factors that you have to look at when evaluating offensive line from flexibility, footspeed and different things along those lines. But the main think I say jokingly is that you don't have to squint to find them, they'll be there. From that point, you go onto the finer details of evaluation and steps towards that."
Q: What does a Cody Kennedy offensive line look like when it's at it's peak? What aspects do you value?
Kennedy: "When you judge an offensive line, the level of communication has to be high. Everybody has to be talking, communicating and on the same page. Our combos have to be working towards the right guy within pass protection. We've got to communicate who we're responsible for in those situations.
"From there, your players' confidence goes up. Their confidence can takeover at that point and then you start building a culture of confidence, toughness and things like that. But it's really got to be built on a firm foundation of overall football knowledge and the ability to communicate that knowledge amongst the room. I'd say that's what a coach Kennedy offensive line would look like."
Q: You've been out on the road recruiting and had a lot going on the past few weeks but what are your early impressions of the offensive line that you're inheriting?
Kennedy: "I think it's young, untapped potential. You've got some older guys who are leaving the room so it's always exciting to see guys coming in. You've got some older guys who have been in the room as well, but the mass of the room is younger guys. So it's exciting potential and we'll continue to add to that and develop that talent while I'm here and obviously try to build something special within that room."
Q: What makes coach Lebby so special and gives him such potential as a head coach?
Kennedy: "I'll be honest with you, our relationship was there but when you're around people and get to know people more the thing that pops out with coach Lebby is his ability to communicate and motivate. That's the thing that's stood out to me in the few weeks that I've been here. His ability to get in front of a room and really lead vocally from the way that he views the program to his vision. He's very strategic in his plan for this place and what he wants this place to be built on. I think that's the true sign of leadership is having a vision and being able to lead people in those steps to build a program."
Q: You were up for the Broyles Award so obviously people think very highly of you as an assistant coach. Why was Mississippi State the right fit for you now in your coaching career?
Kennedy: "I'm about 2 ½ hours from the house. Not that that really impacts your decision, but my family is in Florence, Alabama in the Northwest corner of Alabama. They've been traveling all over the country to watch me coach football games. There's a certain point in your career where you start to chase people that you want to work for and a good balance of winning games with people that you really care about.
"I felt like that was something here that you can get done. You can build relationships with people that you work with. Coach Lebby is huge on a family environment and I don't think it's just words he says. I think he lives by that. You see him bringing his family around and other assistant coaches bringing their families around. That's something that you want to be a part of. You can go win big games throughout your coaching career, but when you go win big games with people that you care about it hits another level for you as a coach in my opinion.
"All of those things, it's a culmination. You don't just take a job for one or two factors at this point in my career. It's got to be a mixture of those things and almost the perfect storm for a really good job. I think this fits the bill. I was with coach (Sam) Pittman at the University of Arkansas and that's someone that I have a lot of care and respect for. So it had to be a really, really perfect storm and I think we have that here with the youth of the coaching staff, coach Lebby being one of the top offensive minds in college football and it helps that it's right down the road from where I grew up at."
Q: What got you into coaching and what motivates you now that you've been a coach for several years?
Kennedy: "I jokingly say I kind of got into coaching by default. I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I would go get different jobs. Even at the back end of my college career, you'd go get different jobs trying to figure out what you would do and where you could see yourself at and doing. I couldn't see myself living without football. That's why I say I got to it by default.
"It's a true passion of mine. I got into it because of the great human beings that helped coach me and mold me as a human. I've still got coaches that I remember from my whole career that have had a huge impact. I can hear their voices in my head as I'm making decisions in life and how I go about my daily tasks. Just having that impact on people, very rarely do you get that in 'the real world' to have that impact on young people and the people that you work with. I think that's a huge testament as to why I got into coaching and why I enjoy it so much."