Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach has received a two-year contract extension, MSU confirmed Tuesday morning.
Leach’s new contract now runs through the 2025 season, a four-year term that is the longest allowable by Mississippi law. His original deal was for four years at $5 million per season.
The former Texas Tech and Washington State coach has gone 11-13 in two seasons in Starkville, making a bowl game in 2020 and 2021. The Bulldogs beat Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl in Leach’s first year and lost to Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl last December.
Leach’s extension comes ahead of what could be a promising year for the Bulldogs, who return quarterback Will Rogers and a host of talent on offense and defense. MSU showed some of its potential last season, winning games against NC State, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Auburn.
But a tough schedule could limit Mississippi State’s success in 2022. The Bulldogs traded in Southeastern Conference doormat Vanderbilt for defending national champion Georgia on their slate, and they will travel to Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU and Kentucky while hosting Georgia, A&M, Arkansas and Auburn.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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