Mississippi State was put in a difficult situation with the death of head coach Mike Leach in December. The program quickly opted for continuity, promoting defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to succeed Leach and giving him a long-term contract.
Leach, who hired Arnett when he arrived in Starkville in 2020, died of a heart attack at 61 less than three weeks after Mississippi State finished its regular season with an Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss.
Arnett was named interim coach when Leach was first hospitalized. Now, he'll make his head coaching debut in Monday's ReliaQuest Bowl when Mississippi State plays Illinois.
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By promoting Arnett, Mississippi State decided against conducting a widescale coaching search in the wake of a tragedy.
Who is Zach Arnett?
Arnett spent the past three seasons as Mississippi State's defensive coordinator under Leach. He oversaw a drop in points allowed per game each season. The Bulldogs went from 28.8 points allowed per game in 2019 to 28.1 in 2020, 25.9 in 2021 and 24.2 in 2022.
Before coming to Starkville, Arnett spent nine seasons on San Diego State's coaching staff, including two as defensive coordinator.
Arnett spent four seasons as a linebacker at New Mexico from 2005-08. The New Mexico native had begun to make his name as the leader of Mississippi State's defense.
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When announcing Arnett's promotion, Mississippi State president Mark Keenum said, "It is imperative that we bring stability and continuity to our team and our coaching staff as we move forward from this tragic event."
Arnett will look to honor Leach's memory with a win in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Zach Arnett: "The best way we can honor Coach Leach is to go out there and play with the effort he'd expect us to."
— Joel Coleman (@JoelTColeman) December 29, 2022
How old is Zach Arnett?
Arnett is 36, making him the youngest head coach in the SEC. In fact, Arnett is the second-youngest head coach of a Power 5 program, ahead of only Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham.
Purdue's Ryan Walters and Oregon's Dan Lanning are also 36 but will turn 37 before Arnett.
Zach Arnett salary
Mississippi State gave Arnett a four-year contract worth $3 million annually. Four years is the maximum length the school could've handed out under Mississippi law.
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Arnett had signed a three-year, $3.9 million extension before the 2022 season, so his annual salary will more than double from this past season.
