Mississippi State targeting Jeff Lebby of Oklahoma as next football coach | Report

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football is targeting Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as its next coach, according to a report from Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger on Saturday. The deal is reportedly not done, but talks are expected to end in a hire.

Lebby spent the previous two seasons with the Sooners working under coach Brent Venables. This year, Lebby led one of the nation's top scoring offenses, averaging 43.2 points per game. The Sooners led the Big 12 with 502.4 yards per game, including a conference-best 321.8 passing yards per contest.

Lebby would replace Zach Arnett who was fired on Nov. 13 after a 4-6 start to his first full season at the helm. Lebby would be the fourth coach for MSU since 2019.

The Bulldogs parted ways with Joe Moorhead in January 2020 after two seasons. He was replaced by Mike Leach who led MSU to a 19-17 mark in three years before his death in December 2022. Arnett was promoted from defensive coordinator shortly after Leach's death, secured a top 30 signing class and led MSU to a ReliaQuest Bowl win.

Mississippi State opened the season with a pair of wins. However, the Bulldogs lost six of seven SEC games under Arnett − capped by a 51-10 loss at Texas A&M two days before his dismissal.

Jeff Lebby's coaching history

Prior to his stint with OU, Lebby spent two seasons (2020-21) as coach Lane Kiffin’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Ole Miss. His previous assistant stops include Victoria Memorial High School in Texas (2007), Baylor (2008-16), Southeastern (2017) and Central Florida (2018-19).

Lebby was connected to a scandal at Baylor in 2015 that saw coach Art Briles, Lebby’s father-in-law, get fired. Baylor student Dolores Lozano mentioned Lebby as a coach who took no action against running back Devin Chafin following claims that he physically assaulted her three times.

Following Briles’ firing, Lebby defended him and sold shirts to show support of Briles.

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Jeff Lebby's connection to Mississippi State, Zac Selmon

Lebby's connection to the MSU opening didn't come as a surprise during the coaching search. Mississippi State athletics director Zac Selmon previously worked at Oklahoma where he overlapped with Lebby.

Many at OU expected Lebby to be a candidate because of his relationship with Selmon, along with Lebby's history coaching in the SEC, a source told the Clarion Ledger earlier this week.

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 targeting Jeff Lebby of Oklahoma as football coach