Mississippi State announces interim head coach after Zach Arnett firing
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Mississippi State has made a move at the top of the football program, announcing a decision to part ways with head coach Zach Arnett Monday morning. The situation was undoubtedly a tough one for Arnett after stepping in following the death of Mike Leach, but there’s no getting past the struggles on the field in 2023.
Moving forward, MSU will finish out the 2023 season with Greg Knox as the interim head coach. Knox returned to the Bulldogs this season as a senior offensive analyst and was previously at MSU from 2009-17. He was the interim head coach for the TaxSlayer Bowl at the end of the 2017 season.
“As part of my thorough and continued evaluation, I have determined that a change in leadership is necessary to move our football program forward and position it for the highest level of success,” Mississippi State Director of Athletics Zac Selmon said via press release. “I have the utmost respect for Zach Arnett and am incredibly appreciative of the effort he put forth in leading our football program. However, the progress and on-field results have not been of the standard required for Mississippi State to achieve the level of success we need and expect.”
Remarkably, this will be Knox’s third stint as an interim head coach and second with the Bulldogs. He led MSU to a bowl win in 2017 after Dan Mullen left for the Florida job, and Knox also went 1-1 as Florida’s interim in 2021 following Mullen’s firing.
Mississippi State is 4-6 with games left to play against Southern Miss and Ole Miss. While it remains unlikely considering recent struggles, there is still a shot for the Bulldogs to sneak into bowl eligibility under Knox.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
