Ole Miss hires former Mississippi State HC Zach Arnett as analyst

Ole Miss has hired former Mississippi State head football coach Zach Arnett to join Lane Kiffin’s staff as an analyst. Kiffin confirmed the news during a media session Wednesday morning and it was first reported by On3.

“I’ve had a lot of respect for Zach and thought they did a great job,” head coach Lane Kiffin said. “This is someone who always has done a really unique defensive scheme and has caused a lot of problems for teams.”

Arnett posted a 5-6 record in his one season as the Bulldogs’ head coach and was fired on November 13th, two days after MSU lost to Texas A&M in College Station 51-10. He was named head coach by Mississippi State shortly after the death of Mike Leach in December of 2022. Prior to that, Arnett spent three seasons in Starkville as Leach’s defensive coordinator.

His coaching career started in 2011 at San Diego State where he served as a graduate assistant for the Aztecs. After three seasons in that role, he was SDSU’s linebackers coach for four years before earning the defensive coordinator title the final two seasons he spent in San Diego.

Now, Arnett joins an Ole Miss program that has incredibly high expectations for 2024 following the Rebels’ first 11-win season in program history.