Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State Reportedly Agree to 5-Year HC Contract

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby agreed to a five-year deal as head coach at Mississippi State, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported.

Before joining Oklahoma in 2022, Lebby led offenses at Ole Miss and UCF.

He will replace Zach Arnett, who was fired November 13 after compiling a 4-6 record (1-6 SEC) in his first full season as head coach. Offensive analyst Greg Knox led the Bulldogs through the final two games of the season.

Leddy is set to take over the program as the SEC expands with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas in 2024.

On3's George Stoia III reported Lebby was offered the job Saturday night, the day after Oklahoma's 69-45 season-finale victory over TCU. He accepted Sunday afternoon.

Lebby is set to arrive with his family in Starkville, Mississippi at 8 p.m. CT Sunday night, according to the university press release, which encouraged fans to greet him at the airport.

The team plans to introduce Lebby to the public with a Monday evening event.

The decision marks the first head coach hiring for Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon, who also worked for Oklahoma before he was hired in January. Selmon arrived after Arnett was promoted to head coach in place of the late Mike Leach in December.

Selmon wrote Friday on X, the day before Lebby was offered the job, that the "best is yet to come" for MSU football.

Lebby called the head coaching job "the opportunity of a lifetime" in a statement.

"I couldn't be more thrilled to add our dynamic offensive scheme to an NFL powerhouse with a nationally regarded history of elite defensive play... I can't wait to lead Mississippi State football into the future, while competing in college football's premier conference," Lebby wrote.

Under Lebby's direction, the Oklahoma offense averaged 502.4 total yards per game in 2023 as quarterback Dillon Gabriel led the Big 12 in passing yards.

The Bulldogs will hope Lebby can now bring that productive offense to a Mississippi State team that averaged 328.6 yards per game in 2023. They may also be hoping Lebby's arrival could convince four-year starting quarterback Will Rogers, who announced his plan to enter the transfer portal Friday, to stick around in Starkville.