Joe Moorhead Reportedly Fired as Mississippi State HC After 2 Seasons

Joe Moorhead's tenure as head coach at Mississippi State has reportedly come to an end after two seasons.  

Per Stadium's Brett McMurphy, the school decided to fire Moorhead for multiple reasons beyond its 6-7 record in 2019, including "a late-season swoon and discipline issues that plagued the program throughout the season."

One source told McMurphy that Moorhead was "lackluster" in his role as a head coach and the partnership with Mississippi State "clearly wasn't clicking."

The Bulldogs got off to a 3-1 start this season before dropping six of their final nine games, including a 38-28 defeat to Louisville in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. 

The team was also plagued by multiple off-field issues that resulted in players being disciplined. Mississippi State had 10 players receive an eight-game suspension for academic fraud. The school was also penalized by having two scholarships taken away during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. 

Six players were suspended for Mississippi State's Nov. 23 game against Abilene Christian for violating team rules. Starting quarterback Garrett Shrader sat out the Music City Bowl with a broken orbital bone that David H. Murray of 247Sports reported occurred during an altercation with a teammate following practice.

Moorhead went 14-12 and lost both of his bowl appearances in his two seasons with the Bulldogs.