The Mississippi State Bulldogs enter the 2024 season on their third head coach in as many seasons. Following the passing of Mike Leach in December 2022, defensive coordinator Zach Arnett stepped up in an interim before earning the HC title outright.
But after a 4-6 start in 2023, the Bulldogs fired him and pegged Jeff Lebby as the new face of the program.
Mississippi State Bulldogs Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Jeff Lebby
After serving as a student assistant at Oklahoma and a quick stop at Victoria Memorial High School in Texas, Jeff Lebby worked under Art Briles at Baylor from 2008-16. But his father-in-law wasn’t the only offensive mastermind he cut his teeth with.
Lebby coached alongside Josh Heupel at UCF (2018-19) and Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss (2020-21). Since becoming an OC in 2019, Lebby’s offenses have scored 50+ points 14 times, the most of any active FBS play-caller.
Just last season, Oklahoma ranked fourth nationally in points (41.7) and third in yards per game (507), landing Lebby the first head coaching role of his career at Mississippi State.
- Oklahoma (SA, 2002-06)
- 2008–2011 Baylor (QC, 2008-11; RBs, 2012-14; PGC/RBs/RC, 2015-16)
- Southeastern (OC, 2017)
- UCF (QBs, 2018; OC/QBs, 2019)
- Ole Miss (OC/QBs, 2020-21)
- Oklahoma (OC/QBs, 2022-23)
- Mississippi State (HC, 2024-present)
Defensive Coordinator/LBs Coach, Coleman Hutzler
Coleman Hutzler and Lebby previously collaborated at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin. He has coached defense at every level across multiple Power Five conferences, including the SEC, with previous stops at Alabama, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Florida.
While at South Carolina in 2017, Hutzler was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award. Throughout his career, he has helped 14 players make it to the NFL and has seen his former athletes earn over 30 All-Conference honors, more than 25 All-America honors, four Conference Player of the Year awards, and four National Player of the Year awards.
- San Diego (DA, 2006)
- Stanford (RA, 2007; DA 2008-09)
- Florida (STC/LBs, 2010-11)
- New Mexico (STC/OLBs, 2012-13)
- Florida (STC/OLBs, 2014)
- Boston College (STC/OLBs, 2015)
- South Carolina (STC/LBs, 2016-19)
- Texas (co-DC/ILBs, 2020)
- Ole Miss (STC, 2021)
- Alabama (STC/OLBs, (2022-23)
- Mississippi State (DC/LBs, 2024-present)
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach, Matt Barnes
Barnes comes to Starkville from Memphis, where he served as the DC for the past two seasons. While leading the Memphis defense, he coached eight players to All-AAC honors, notably first-team selection Quindell Johnson, who currently plays for the Chicago Bears.
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Prior to his time with the Tigers, he spent three seasons at Ohio State, where he played a key role in helping the Buckeyes capture three Big Ten Titles and reach two College Football Playoffs.
- Delaware Valley (RBs, 2009)
- West Virginia Wesleyan (RBs, 2010; OC/QBs, 2011)
- Florida (GA, 2012-14)
- Michigan (DA, 2015)
- Maryland (STC/LBs, 2016-18)
- Ohio State (STC/DBs, 2019; STC/S, 2020; DC/DBs, 2021)
- Memphis (DC, 2022-23)
- Mississippi State (Co-DC/S, 2024-present)
Assistant Head Coach/RBs Coach, Anthony Tucker
In his 14 years of collegiate coaching, Anthony Tucker has helped capture four conference championships and appeared in nine bowl games. After spending two seasons with Jeff Lebby at UCF, he joined his staff in Starkville following a stint as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and WRs coach in 2023.
Before Indiana, Tucker was the OC and QBs coach at Utah State (2021-22). He guided the Aggies to a program-record 11 wins, their first Mountain West Championship, a victory over Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, and a No. 24 finish in the AP Poll. Under his leadership, Utah State set eight school records and became the only team in the country to have three receivers with 10 or more TD receptions.
Cornerbacks Coach, Corey Bell
Corey Bell spent the entirety of his coaching career in Florida, with notable stops at UF, Miami, and USF. Most recently, he served as the defensive passing game coordinator at FAU.
During his three seasons leading the Knights’ CBs, Bell significantly improved the team’s pass defense, helping the unit climb an impressive 83 spots in passing yards allowed from 2019 to 2020.
Tight Ends Coach, Jon Cooper
Jon Cooper is reunited with Lebby after coaching the OL at North Texas last season. He first teamed up with Lebby as the TEs coach at UCF from 2018 to 2019, during which time Lebby served as the QBs coach and IC.
Cooper later joined Lebby as an offensive assistant at Oklahoma in 2022, and he has also held positions as TEs coach at Arkansas in 2020 and OL coach at Western Carolina in 2021.
Quarterbacks Coach, Matt Holecek
Matt Holecek spent the last four seasons alongside Lebby as an assistant QBs coach at Oklahoma (2022-23) and Ole Miss (2020-21). Prior to his time at Ole Miss, he served as an offensive assistant at Missouri, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 2018.
Throughout his career, Holecek has played a key role in developing QBs such as Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma, Matt Corral at Ole Miss, and Drew Lock at Missouri.
Offensive Line Coach, Cody Kennedy
A 2021 Broyles Award semifinalist, Cody Kennedy joined Lebby’s staff after spending three seasons (2021-23) at Arkansas as the OL coach. Under Kennedy’s leadership, the offensive line helped the Razorbacks amass an impressive 6,128 yards in 2022, marking one of the best offensive seasons in school history.
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His unit was instrumental in Arkansas averaging 236.7 rushing yards per game and surpassing the 3,000-yard mark for just the 10th time in program history.
Special Teams Coordinator, Cliff Odom
Lebby hired former New Mexico State DBs coach Cliff Odom as the final member of his on-field staff. Odom spent two seasons with the Aggies, but he also shares a history with Lebby.
They overlapped at UCF from 2018 to 2019, where he worked in special teams quality control under head coach Josh Heupel. During that time, Lebby served as Heupel’s QBs coach (2018) and OC (2019).
Wide Receivers Coach, Chad Bumphins
After a standout career as a wide receiver at Mississippi State from 2009 to 2012, Chad Bumphins returned to the program last year to coach the WRs. His coaching journey began in 2016, taking him to various schools, including Iowa Wesleyan, Buffalo, Austin Peay, and Utah.
From 2021 to 2022, Bumphins guided the Utes’ WRs, playing a key role in developing one of the top offenses in the Pac-12.
Defensive Line Coach, David Turner
Last year was David Turner’s first season back at Mississippi State after two previous stints with the program. He served as the DL coach from 2007 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2015.
Turner’s coaching résumé also includes stops at Florida, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Virginia, and NC State, showcasing his extensive experience across various programs.
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