STARKVILLE — Jeff Lebby’s annual salary of $4.51 million would rank 13th in the Southeastern Conference this year, ahead of only Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea. But Mississippi State is paying its new head coach significantly more than the $3 million Zach Arnett made before he was fired on Nov. 13.
As Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator, Lebby was paid $1.9 million for the 2023 season, making him the fifth-highest paid assistant coach in all of college football. His four-year contract at MSU comes with numerous performance-based incentives for both personal accolades and team success.
Lebby will receive a $50,000 bonus if he is named SEC Coach of the Year and $100,000 for being named National Coach of the Year.
He stands to make $125,000 if the Bulldogs win five SEC games, an additional $125,000 for every subsequent SEC victory.
If MSU reaches the SEC Championship Game, Lebby will be owed $100,000; if the Bulldogs win that game, he will be paid an additional $250,000. His contract also includes bonuses for participating in various bowl games and the soon-to-be-expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, from $100,000 for the lowest tier bowls all the way up to $1 million for winning the national championship.
Athletic Director Zac Selmon said at Lebby’s introductory press conference Monday night that he had identified Lebby as his ideal candidate by Saturday. The two previously worked together at Oklahoma from December 2021, when Lebby was named offensive coordinator for the Sooners, until January 2023, when Selmon left his post as Oklahoma’s deputy AD for external engagement and advancement to take the top administrative job at MSU.
“Anybody in this business knows and sees the type of person he is, the style of play he has, and his ability to attract great people,” Selmon said. “When you have that kind of gravity around you, people take notice. We visited with a handful of candidates and met with some great coaches, but throughout our process, it came back to Coach Lebby as the right person to lead our program at this time.”
Recruiting already underway
Lebby began contacting all high school players in the Class of 2024 who are verbally committed to the Bulldogs on Monday morning, as well as those who the program is still pursuing. He said he hoped to complete this process by the end of the day Tuesday.
Four-star wide receiver JJ Harrell, among the top prospects of MSU’s incoming class, posted a screenshot on X/Twitter of himself on a FaceTime call with Lebby, with an emoji indicating that he remains firmly committed to playing for the Bulldogs. Starkville High receiver and fellow four-star prospect Braylon Burnside, who decommitted from MSU on Nov. 6, told Rivals, “Heard (Lebby) has a great offense. We’ll see.”
“That’s what’s going to happen over these next few days — getting on the phone with all of these recruits and understanding exactly where we’re at with these guys,” Lebby said. “Looking forward to connecting with them, connecting with their families and talking about State and the direction we’re going.”
The other side of the ball
With Lebby’s offensive background — he said he plans to continue calling plays for the Bulldogs — the most important addition to his staff will be the defensive coordinator. Matt Brock, who has been at MSU since 2018, stepped into that role this season after Zach Arnett was promoted to head coach but is unlikely to be retained.
Lebby said experience will be important as he evaluates defensive coordinator candidates and suggested a preference for coaches who have already spent time in the SEC.
“It’s incredibly important to have a guy come in here who has done it, lived it and has great experience,” Lebby said. “I’ll continue to talk about wanting to hire guys who know what it’s supposed to look like inside this league. This league is different than any other, and I want a guy who has had success and had a lot of different experiences being able to put it together on that side of the ball.”
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