Jeff Lebby has announced his first outside addition to Mississippi State’s coaching staff by hiring Cody Kennedy to coach the offensive line.
Kennedy was in the same role for the last three seasons at Arkansas. The Razorbacks’ offense struggled throughout much of the 2023 season, but in 2021, they led the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game and also put up big numbers in 2022.
Prior to his arrival in Fayetteville, Kennedy was the offensive line coach at Southern Miss in the 2020-21 offseason, and at Tulane for two years before that. The Green Wave rushed for a school-record 3,162 yards in 2019 and were in the top 10 nationally in rushing touchdowns in 2020.
In 2018, Kennedy was a graduate assistant at Georgia, where current Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was then working as offensive line coach. His other previous stops include West Georgia, North Carolina-Pembroke and West Alabama, following his collegiate playing career at Southeastern Louisiana.
Two of the Bulldogs’ starting offensive linemen — center Cole Smith and right tackle Kameron Jones — are out of eligibility, and right guard Steven Losoya III is in the transfer portal. That leaves left tackle Percy Lewis and left guard Nick Jones as the only projected returners, although Grant Jackson and Albert Reese IV also saw regular playing time.
“For more than a decade, including four years in the Southeastern Conference, he’s guided game-changing offensive lines,” Lebby said in a statement. “Coach Kennedy will bring a physicality and toughness to our front.”
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