Mississippi State football names Zach Arnett permanent head coach

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football has promoted defensive coordinator and interim head coach Zach Arnett to permanent head coach, MSU announced Thursday. Arnett has signed a four-year contract with an annual salary of $3 million with performance-based incentives.

Arnett has been MSU's defensive coordinator since 2020, when he was hired by Mike Leach. Arnett was given the interim title Sunday when Leach was airlifted to a Jackson hospital following a medical emergency. Leach died on Monday night after complications stemming from a heart condition, MSU announced.

"I'm honored that (interim AD) Bracky Brett and (MSU president Mark) Keenum have the faith in me to lead our program," Arnett said in a press release. "This is an extremely challenging time for both me and everyone associated with Mississippi State football. No one can ever replace Coach Leach and the impact he had on MSU and all of college football. This team is full of strong, resilient young men and we are committed to continuing to build on the foundation Coach Leach laid and continue to honor his legacy."

TOPPMEYER:Mike Leach wouldn't care about these obituaries. Pirates play on

MORE:How Mike Leach impacted Mississippi State recruit Chris Parson, just before his death

Arnett's promotion comes amidst what Keenum referred to as a "complicated" situation for the athletics department. Along with the sudden death of Leach, Mississippi State is currently without a full-time athletics director following the departure of John Cohen for Auburn at the end of October.

"Our football program has dealt with a stunning blow at the untimely passing of Coach Mike Leach," 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. I have tremendous confidence in Zach Arnett's leadership and believe he is uniquely positioned to continue the progress Coach Leach brought to our program. He brings great drive and intensity to the task."

Mississippi State (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2 (11 a.m., ESPN2) against Illinois (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten).

Arnett joined Mississippi State after working as an assistant at San Diego State. He joined the Aztecs staff in 2011 as a graduate assistant before being promoted to linebackers coach in 2014. In 2018, he was promoted to defensive coordinator.

Arnett is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He played linebacker for New Mexico from 2005-2008.

Mississippi State finished fifth in the SEC for total defense each of the last three seasons. Much of that has been built on stability, which is expected to continue into 2023. Key pieces to the defense such as linebackers Nathaniel Watson and Jett Johnson, along with defensive linemen Jaden Crumedy and Jordan Davis, have announced their intent to return next year.

On the offensive side, Arnett has potential to retain the Air Raid offense. If he elects to remain in-house for an offensive coordinator, receivers coaches Steve Spurrier Jr. and Drew Hollingshead have worked beside Leach dating back to his tenure at Washington State.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football names Zach Arnett permanent head coach