Opinion: Regardless of Who's Right, There's Only Disappointment in Arnett-Rogers Dispute

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The talk of the town this week had to do with two people who are no longer around, Will Rogers and Zach Arnett, thanks to an article in the Mississippi Today written by Rick Cleveland that raised more than a few eyebrows regarding the Mississippi State football program. In the story, Wyatt Rogers, Will's father, alleged Arnett lied to his family by promising to keep the infamous Air Raid offense even after Mike Leach passed away last year.

Instead, Arnett opted to bring in Appalachian State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay and his pro-style offense. 

Change happens, that's part of college football, and everyone knows it. What a coach intends to do can suddenly be replaced, and sometimes what get promised has to be compromised or ignored. But the Rogers family obviously took that promise to be a guarantee, and now it looks like the former head coach would have said anything to keep his starter on the roster. 

If he lied, and Arnett hasn't said anything in response yet, it's not a good look for him or the university. At minimum, it can be used against both in recruiting by the competition: "Why would you go there, or play for that coach? You can't trust them."

Arnett shouldn't be blamed for wanting to change offensive schemes, or having a system he's comfortable with executing; it was his program, and he had every right to make his own decisions, especially if he though it was the best thing to do for the team overall. The passing of the legendary Leach shocked everyone, Arnett included, and he had to switch gears without warning. Leach himself was infamous for doing things his way no matter how unorthodox, so if he could have offered Arnett any advice it likely would have been to do things your way and not worry about outside noise. 

The Air Raid also struggled during the Leach era in Starkville as it ranked 43rd and 60th in scoring offense during his final two season. A change in the scheme was not disrespectful or arrogant. It was simply a first-year head coach trying to improve his offense. 

However, it was poorly executed, as the Bulldogs were dreadful on offense this past year under Barbay, ranking 107th in total offense. It's obviously a major reason why Arnett was let go and replaced by Jeff Lebby. 

Either way, the head coach should have been upfront about it. That appears to be his biggest mistake in this regard. 

Back to Rogers, while Arnett may have lied to him, the now-Washington Huskies quarterback had an entire spring practice to see that the Barbay scheme was not the Air Raid, and he opted to stay in Starkville and let things play out. Granted, he might have been feeling intense pressure not to leave, and it would have been extremely difficult to go to a different team, learn the offense and possibly start (most quarterbacks need at least a year to get things down), yet it was still his choice. 

Rogers spent the offseason trying to shuck the narrative that he was a "system quarterback" and prove he could also play well in Barbay's system. This is further evidenced by Rogers electing to stay even with the different offensive philosophy, and the 6-2 quarterback had shown he was willing to transfer. 

The Arnett era at Mississippi State was nothing short of a disaster, and he paid the price by being fired not even a year into his tenure. Dragging his name through the mud even more was the low-hanging fruit, especially to prop up a quarterback that Arnett always praised. As a defensive coordinator he was an essential part of the Leach era, as he had three successful seasons in that role, plus he chose to stay in Starkville after being a candidate for other jobs. The raise that went with the promotion helped, and he obviously thought it was an opportunity to show what he was capable of doing in a bigger role. 

Rogers missed four games this past season due to injury, and even when the Brandon native was on the field he often struggled, with four interceptions compared to two touchdowns in his four SEC starts. Rogers spent an entire offseason scoffing at people saying he will struggle in a new offense and that he is a "system quarterback," but now he seems to accept that term — at a school on the other side of the country, which just lost its head coach (to Alabama, who could have seen that coming), and is subsequently installing a new offense. 

He deserved better, but also has to share in the responsibility of what happened with the 2023 Bulldogs, and the choices he made.