Getting To Know Matt Holecek
January 02, 2024 | Football, Joel Coleman
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 have been released over the last several days.
The interview series continues with quarterbacks coach Matt Holecek.
Q: You've been around Coach Lebby a lot over your career. How easy of a decision was it for you to join up with him again here at Mississippi State?
Holecek: "He didn't even have to ask me. I was running to Starkville. The history of this place and our relationship, I just knew the places he is going to take this program. The opportunity to have a small role in that, I couldn't be more thankful or excited to get started here in StarkVegas."
Q: Working with Coach Lebby as closely as you have through the years, what makes him so special and made him someone you have gravitated towards?
Holecek: "I think there's a few things. Number one, he's a brilliant offensive mind. But more than that, he's a great person. He loves the kids. He invests in the kids.
"Then, for him, he creates an environment every day that everyone is going to love walking through those double doors and being a part of this program. It's going to be a competitive program and there are going to be hard days, but at the end of the day, you spend so much time doing this – to have somebody set the vision of the program that operates [the way Lebby does], it makes everybody's role, whatever it is, more enjoyable.
"That, to me, is ultimately what's going to separate us. Obviously, the stats and the wins and all that will speak for themselves as far as his success in the past, but who he is and how he sets the culture of the program every day, that'll be what ultimately separates us."
Q: Coach Lebby has described his offense as a show. What has always made this offense so exciting?
Holecek: "Number one, we say you can't score if you don't try. So, we're going to shoot the ball down the field and try to create explosive plays. I don't want to snap the ball again. I want to score now. So, to me, that's the number one thing is trying to create explosive plays.
"Then, obviously the tempo that we play with puts a ton of pressure on the defense. They don't get to get their heels dug in and just truly tee off on us. We get to be the aggressor every single snap with the tempo and the way we play shooting the ball down field, while still taking care of the ball and putting our guys in positions to succeed."
Q: What qualities do you look for in a quarterback to spearhead this offense?
Holecek: "Number one, you want a leader – a guy that other guys will run through a brick wall for. Because ultimately, he's the one administrating everything.
"Then, I liken it to like a point guard in basketball. A guy that can put the ball in playmakers' hands in space. Create when a play does break down. Then, a guy who can stretch the field vertically with his arm. We want to throw the ball down the field, so we need somebody that can do that."
Q: Can you tell us a little more about Coach Lebby and his coaching style and how he handles his players?
Holecek: "It's going to be [a relationship] where he'll walk out on the field and [have a lot of fun] with the guys. It's going to be a fun environment, but it's competitive. Every day, it's going to be where you are put in positions where you have to go win a one-on-one matchup. And we're going to have guys that can go do that.
"The coaching style piece of it, that's the biggest piece. It's fun and competitive. When you combine those two things, there's going to be something you can do better on every single snap. We're going to try and constantly chase perfection. We'll never get there, but the more our guys invest into getting better every single snap and taking something applicable in the future – not just correcting the mistake – but finding a way to make it applicable to the next snap will be a big part of what we do."
Q: In just a few short years, you've quickly become an SEC assistant coach. How meaningful is it to you to get this opportunity in this league?
Holecek: "I couldn't be more thankful and appreciative. It's great to be a part of the community that Starkville is. In my short time here, I've gotten a great feel for the people. Not only in the program, but in the town and the fans. You can feel the excitement in the town. So to me, that opportunity is just incredible.
"And I have elevated perhaps faster than some other coaches have, but to me it's a credit to the people that you work with and the players that I've been fortunate enough to be around. They're ultimately the ones that allow coaches to get to good situations. I've been around great players and great programs that have put me in position to be here now."
Q: What originally got you into coaching?
Holecek: "Number one, I wasn't good enough as a player to play. Nobody wanted me to play. But I've been obsessed with the game since I was three years old. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to do it as an undergrad when I was 18 years old. And the competition and the things it pulls out of you and things you can give to the players and the relationships that creates, that's lifelong.
"To me, that was the ultimate cause – to create those relationships and be able to take those players, people who I have a ton of appreciation and respect for and help them achieve their goals. There's no better feeling than watching a guy grow and take his family places he wouldn't have had the chance to. To have a small role in that, those experiences are priceless."
Q: It might be too early to answer this, but knowing Coach Lebby like you do, what do you think this team will ultimately be known for under his leadership or is that something that will just evolve with time?
Holecek: "I would say this team will be known for the competitive fire that it plays with on the field and the camaraderie that there'll be between players. They're going to truly love playing for each other and playing for Mississippi State.
"Because of that, they'll be able to invest a little bit more because they're going to love each other. When you love each other, you can invest a little bit more and I think that'll show in the way that they play and the excitement that they have on Saturdays."