With only the Georgia State frontman position open, the head coaching carousel is coming to a near end. With the dust settling, On3 Sports’ Jesse Simonton went about grading all 15 of the head coaching hirings among the Power-Five conferences. Of the three head coaches to earn a grade under a B-, one was the newest bench boss of the Mississippi State football program, Jeff Lebby.
Only two coaches received a worse grade than Lebby’s C+: Oregon State’s Trent Bray and UCLA’s DeShaun Foster. Meanwhile, Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, and Houston’s Willie Fritz earned an A from Simonton.
Mississippi State Football HC Jeff Lebby: Receives Rough Grade from National College Football Columnist
On3’s Jesse Simonton has a tough time buying new Mississippi State Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby as a successful hire for the 2024 season, citing him becoming a first-year bench boss in the most challenging conference in football.
“He’s another first-time head coach. Is he ready to be a first-time head coach at one of the toughest jobs in the best conference in college football? We’ll see.”
Lebby will be challenged to lead the Mississippi State football program after a rough five-win campaign in 2023. However, he has become one of the best offensive coordinators in the country. He spent the previous two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners and the two years before that with the Ole Miss Rebels. Former Oklahoma football quarterback Dillon Gabriel threw 30 touchdowns against six interceptions, while the Sooners finished fourth in the country regarding points per game scored. Meanwhile, Ole Miss scored 33.7 points per game during Lebby’s last season with the SEC program.
Despite his reservations about Lebby’s ability to lead as a first-year head coach, Simonton buys into his ability to put numbers on the board. Simonton said, “The former UCF, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma OC doesn’t hail from the Mike Leach tree, but he should infuse Mississippi State’s offense with similar pizzaz.”
Mississippi State Bulldogs: Eyeing Tough 2024 Season
First-year frontman Jeff Lebby will have his hands full next season in the hyper-competitive SEC. Before hosting the Florida Gators, the Bulldogs must face the improving Arizona State Sun Devils and an 11-win Toledo Rockets team in non-conference play. Meanwhile, Mississippi State will play the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, and the Ole Miss Rebels on the road next fall.
Lebby and the Bulldogs will also replace longtime starter and record holder Will Rogers at quarterback. Rogers will play for the Washington Huskies next season, while Mike Wright should slot into the starting role for Mississippi State. Wright is a dual-threat quarterback who spent 2020 to 2022 playing for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He tallied 21 passing touchdowns and seven rushing scores during that span. Wright transferred to Mississippi State for the 2023 season, playing mainly behind Rogers. However, he earned three starts but failed to record a multi-touchdown performance.
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