STARKVILLE — When Zach Arnett interviewed potential play-callers for the offensive coordinator role at Mississippi State, his first question was always the same: “What is your offensive identity?”
Most coaches went into detail about their scheme and the personnel they preferred to use. Kevin Barbay had a different answer.
“Show me who our best 11 players are,” he told Arnett. “Then I can tell you better.”
It was far from the only factor, but the response helped Barbay win the job.
Arnett said Wednesday it was refreshing “to talk to a candidate who has a small enough ego to put that aside and go, ‘It has nothing to do with me, really. Our job is to identify the best players and then build the scheme around them.’”
That’s what Barbay has done in recent stops at Central Michigan and Appalachian State. He was named Mississippi State’s new offensive coordinator Jan. 12, and he’ll be tasked with reshaping the Bulldogs’ offense in their first year with Arnett at the helm.
That appears to involve moving away from the late Mike Leach’s favored Air Raid passing system, but it won’t mean running for the sake of running, Barbay clarified.
“Everybody likes to ask about the system and, ‘Well, you’re going from Air Raid to now pro style,’” he said Wednesday. “Really, it’s more about identifying who your true playmakers are and finding out what the best ways are to get them the football, whether that be running it 40 times a game or throwing it 60 times a game.”
The Bulldogs were decidedly pass heavy under Leach, running fewer than 23 times a game in 2022 — the fewest rushing attempts in the country. Mississippi State attempted 48.8 passes per game, leading the nation.
Barbay’s past offenses found success both on the ground and through the air, and he figures to even out the pass/run ratio in his first season in Starkville.
His offense will also feature tight ends, something Leach never incorporated into the Bulldogs’ scheme.
MSU signed Georgia transfer Ryland Goede on Wednesday and hopes to add more players at the position in the coming months, adding a blocking and receiving threat to its formation.
“When you add the tight end, right, now you’re talking about multiple personnel groups, multiple formations, a bunch of shifts and motions where it’s not just a stationary two-by-two or three-by-one set,” Barbay said. “It gives you the versatility to utilize playmakers in different ways.”
Whether it’s Jo’quavious Marks at tailback, Goede at tight end or the explosive Lideatrick Griffin at wide receiver, that last sentence is the crux of Barbay’s philosophy.
And he’s got quite a while to figure out.
Barbay said Wednesday he’s routinely been asked if he’s been settled in yet. His answer? “Absolutely not.”
That goes for figuring out how to get the best out of Marks, Griffin, quarterback Will Rogers and the rest of the Bulldogs’ offensive skill players.
“There’s still a discovery phase in exactly how we need to utilize our playmakers’ strengths within this offense,” Barbay said.
When it comes to his new players’ ability to adjust, Barbay said he doesn’t expect too drastic a learning curve.
In terms of fundamentals and technique, things will be different, but he’s taken over other programs in the past to good results.
“There’ll be a lot of new learning, but I’m confident that our guys are going to be able to pick it up in a short amount of time,” Barbay said.
Barbay equated himself to his new head coach in terms of the passion both have for the game, and the feeling appeared to be mutual.
Not long afterward, Arnett said Barbay’s offensive philosophy — letting players dictate scheme — is what Arnett himself practices. For example, linebacker Nathaniel Watson — the Southeastern Conference’s leading tackler and a strong-pass rusher — can drop into coverage or blitz the quarterback equally well, giving the Bulldogs flexibility in what they do.
It’ll be the same thing on the offensive side if Barbay does his job right, Arnett said.
“We expect to do the same thing on the offensive side of the ball: figure out who our most explosive players are and get the ball in their hands,” Arnett said. “We’re excited to see what Coach Barbay builds here this spring.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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