Mike Leach likely won’t be keeping many of the Mississippi State assistant coaches that were on Joe Moorhead’s staff but it does appear the new Bulldog coach does plan on retaining the one Hail State fans most wanted to see return to Starkville in 2020.

Tony Hughes is expected to be retained by Mike Leach, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. Considering Feldman co-wrote the Mike Leach book Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life with Mississippi State’s coach, you’d have to think he’s pretty plugged into the inner workings of the Hail State program at the moment.

Hughes has worked as an assistant coach in Starkville for eight seasons, serving one season under Moorhead and seven under Dan Mullen. Hughes has also served as head coach of Jackson State for three seasons.

Noted as one of the best recruiters in the state of Mississippi, Hughes has become something of an institution in Starkville and would be a huge asset for Leach’s coaching staff, which will be filled with coaches without many ties to the state.