STARKVILLE, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi State Director of Athletics Zac Selmon announced Monday that Zach Arnett has been fired as head football coach effective immediately.
This comes after the Bulldogs lost to Texas A&M on Saturday, 51-10.
A national search is underway to find the team’s next head football coach. MSU senior offensive analyst Greg Knox, who has 35 years of coaching experience including 28 years in the Southeastern Conference, will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Knox is in his second stint at MSU and previously served as the Bulldogs’ interim head coach during the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl, where he led the team to a 31-27 win over Louisville.
“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,” Selmon said. “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.”
Mississippi State has two more games in their regular season. They will face Southern Miss on November 18, and they will face Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on November 23.
Arnett was named the Bulldogs’ 35th head football coach on December 15, 2022, following the death then head coach Mike Leach. He led the Bulldogs to a 19-10 win over Illinois on January 2, 2023, in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
The Bulldogs had a 5-6 record during Arnett’s tenure including a 4-6 record this season.
