Thoughts on Arnett 2.0

[StarkVegasSteve]

I will say I was as surprised as anyone yesterday morning when I heard the news. And I think that goes for anyone that had any sort of connections or sources. NO ONE saw this one coming. Rosebowl can tell everyone that he knew about it, but I believe that about as much as I believe he has sources in the athletic dept anymore. Just a few things:

1. Arnett is an improvement over Hutzler, and a big one at that. I do not see how that is even debatable. His worst defense was ranked 62nd. He had Landon Guidry starting at safety, who would make Hunter Washington look like Ed Reed, and finished 54th.

2. You have to separate Arnett the HC from Arnett the DC. I think I have made my thoughts known on how I feel about him in that capacity. He sucked. He was in over his head, he took bad advice, he tried to overhaul an entire program in 3 months instead of gradually over time, and then he got pissy when we held him accountable for his actions. All they can be true and have nothing to do with Arnett the defensive coordinator. The guy is a good play caller and we will be aggressive on D, which is what Lebby wants.

3. I am not going to pretend to tell you that I had a clue how we did this under the cover of darkness like we did. And anyone who tries to tell you they knew this was coming is blowing smoke up your ass. Like I said earlier, Rosebowl is trying to tell people he knew and he was on his board shooting down the idea Friday afternoon. No one knew. Now do I know if Lebby went behind boosters backs to do this? I do not. That is a rumor out there. I have spoken with 6 or 7 people about this in the last 24 hours. NONE of them, including one national guy, had a clue this was even a remote possibility.

4. As far as a staff, I fully expect Matt Brock to be brought in. Outside of that, no clue. I do think McPhee ends up DL coach. That just continues to gain steam. And before anyone asks, NO. No decision has been made on Corey Bell one way or the other. If anyone tells you differently at this point, they are just speculating. It is true that he and Kelley Jonee are very close. But that does not mean we are just stock keeping him as a CB coach. We could move him to an analyst role for a season and continue to pay him and bring in a CB coach.

[KB21]

Regardless of whether I like the move or not, which I don't think it is a big secret that I absolutely hate it, the defensive staff needs to be filled with coaches who understand Arnett's defensive scheme. I don't see how you can keep any of the defensive coaches that are currently employed. I mean, Arnett hired David Turner in 2023 because some boosters wanted him on staff. However, the way Turner teaches DL to play is not the way Arnett wants his DL to play. There were issues there.

[Todd4State]

Good thoughts. I think it's an odd move honestly. Because we could have gotten someone similar to Arnett without the baggage.

And because it is who it is I think it puts a lot of pressure on Lebby especially if he just went out and did this on his own. Because if for some reason this doesn't work it's going to be a big black mark on Lebby's resume.

It's going to come down to players and whether Arnett can add those because our talent level on defense is not what it was from 2020-2023. And with the portal hopefully we can do that. Right now we have a lot of work to do so whoever is on staff better be able to recruit.

[was21]

Jett Johnson was also on Mora's staff at UCONN along with Brock. He was LB corch. Wonder if he may be considered.

[Coursesuper]

Jett Johnson was also on Mora's staff at UCONN along with Brock. He was LB corch. Wonder if he may be considered.

Very junior assistant coach there. Not listed as a “coach” per se just as assistant linebackers. Probably still more of a GA position there. If he is brought back it will be interesting to see in what capacity.

[BuckyIsAB****]

It means no one else would take it, and it also means that the problems that were there when we made him HC in 23 are still there now. And they still have enough pull to make a difference. This is a hire that a decent university admin steps in and says no. But we dont have one. It?s why everyone is dying for baseball to get here and why the east side is full of the opposite colored jersey.

[Todd4State]

It means no one else would take it, and it also means that the problems that were there when we made him HC in 23 are still there now. And they still have enough pull to make a difference. This is a hire that a decent university admin steps in and says no. But we dont have one. It?s why everyone is dying for baseball to get here and why the east side is full of the opposite colored jersey.

I am surprised that Keenum is allowing this.

But that said I have been told by a couple of people that Arnett has some strict guidelines in place to try to prevent things from happening again. But that is a concern and probably my biggest about bringing Arnett back.

[BuckyIsAB****]

I am surprised that Keenum is allowing this.

But that said I have been told by a couple of people that Arnett has some strict guidelines in place to try to prevent things from happening again. But that is a concern and probably my biggest about bringing Arnett back.

Keenum is the one that should be leaving with Lebby right behind him

[Brobi-wan]

Arnett either really loves MSU or he’s about to sabotage us from the inside. We will see

[Todd4State]

Arnett either really loves MSU or he’s about to sabotage us from the inside. We will see

Or Arnett couldn't find another job.

[ArrowDawg]

Or Arnett couldn't find another job.

Most likely.

[EdwardDrayton]

It's simple. We struck out on the ones we pursued and the fall back was Arnett. I mean what defensive analyst was gonna say no to being a DC again. It was the best of what we had left. It's not about it being Arnett, it's how we ended up with Arnett. Not a shining moment for those in charge.

[Brobi-wan]

Or Arnett couldn't find another job.

Wonder if the Magic Mike crew heard of his Wendy’s stunt. They might give him a go

[archdog]

Arnett either really loves MSU or he’s about to sabotage us from the inside. We will see

Yall are insane. Why wouldn?t Keenum allow this? ZA is a good DC. We need a good DC.

[Coach34]

Arnett either really loves MSU

Yes- still owns land here

[Todd4State]

Yall are insane. Why wouldn?t Keenum allow this? ZA is a good DC. We need a good DC.

Let's be real here for just a minute. This guy whether intentional or not did some things to our program that were harmful. And let's just give him the benefit of the doubt here because this doesn't need to turn into another pissing match and just assume it was all unintentional and maybe it was anyway. There are naturally concerns that go along with that.

The thing I keep hearing from people is Zach trusted people he shouldn't have. Now, I don't know who all of those people are and I don't really care. But the reality is when you bring someone back that opens the door for people who we don't need involved at MSU making decisions at a high level.

Now, that said I am confident that MSU is aware of that possibility and I have been told by more than one person that MSU has done things to try to prevent that from happening. And when I say that it's a concern it's a very, very, very small concern. But it still exists nonetheless.

It's like the Death Star had that small vent. It's likely nothing to worry about but if a bomb gets through it could blow up the whole thing like when Leach passed away.

MSU wouldn't have to worry about that at all with pretty much any other DC hire. And that's just the truth.

[Coach34]

Good thoughts. I think it's an odd move honestly.

Isnt Va Tech about to make the HC they just fired the DC?

[Todd4State]

Isnt Va Tech about to make the HC they just fired the DC?

Yeah. But when else have you heard of that happening at the college level? I can't think of another instance.

[Maroon Glasses]

I think everything is gonna be just fine guys. I think Arnett probably learned some very valuable, hard lessons on his path back here. I try and put myself in their shoes sometimes (the ones getting criticized) and think hard on it.

Arnett was a successful DC who probably had dreams of becoming a HC one day, like we all do within our own professions. His time just come too early, and he probably knew that but took the job anyway. He probably expected help along the way, but from the stories I've heard and read is he was just used by boosters to satisfy their own egos. Their own little puppet. And once you're in bed with all that it's hard to get out. We all know the story. He failed miserably and obviously the guy cares. He ended up going down a road of destruction he probably never intended on going down. Mental issues, alcohol, and whatever else. Now he is back where it all started, back in the position he knows and thrives in.

I think the guy is going to kill it. He seems to love Starkville and he has been welcomed back. The guy knows he screwed up but he has a second chance to redeem his story. Maybe this was the hardship in life he needed. He could be more determined, motivated, and intense. This might be what he needed to take him from mid sec defenses to top sec defenses. Maybe Im just a softy or too optimistic- but I'm pulling hard for him. And I believe he is gonna kill it. Lebby knows it too.

[Brobi-wan]

I think everything is gonna be just fine guys. I think Arnett probably learned some very valuable, hard lessons on his path back here. I try and put myself in their shoes sometimes (the ones getting criticized) and think hard on it.

Arnett was a successful DC who probably had dreams of becoming a HC one day, like we all do within our own professions. His time just come too early, and he probably knew that but took the job anyway. He probably expected help along the way, but from the stories I've heard and read is he was just used by boosters to satisfy their own egos. Their own little puppet. And once you're in bed with all that it's hard to get out. We all know the story. He failed miserably and obviously the guy cares. He ended up going down a road of destruction he probably never intended on going down. Mental issues, alcohol, and whatever else. Now he is back where it all started, back in the position he knows and thrives in.

I think the guy is going to kill it. He seems to love Starkville and he has been welcomed back. The guy knows he screwed up but he has a second chance to redeem his story. Maybe this was the hardship in life he needed. He could be more determined, motivated, and intense. This might be what he needed to take him from mid sec defenses to top sec defenses. Maybe Im just a softy or too optimistic- but I'm pulling hard for him. And I believe he is gonna kill it. Lebby knows it too.

The fan reaction appears to be mostly positive. That’s a nice change if you pay attention to our social media engagement.

[Todd4State]

I think everything is gonna be just fine guys. I think Arnett probably learned some very valuable, hard lessons on his path back here. I try and put myself in their shoes sometimes (the ones getting criticized) and think hard on it.

Arnett was a successful DC who probably had dreams of becoming a HC one day, like we all do within our own professions. His time just come too early, and he probably knew that but took the job anyway. He probably expected help along the way, but from the stories I've heard and read is he was just used by boosters to satisfy their own egos. Their own little puppet. And once you're in bed with all that it's hard to get out. We all know the story. He failed miserably and obviously the guy cares. He ended up going down a road of destruction he probably never intended on going down. Mental issues, alcohol, and whatever else. Now he is back where it all started, back in the position he knows and thrives in.

I think the guy is going to kill it. He seems to love Starkville and he has been welcomed back. The guy knows he screwed up but he has a second chance to redeem his story. Maybe this was the hardship in life he needed. He could be more determined, motivated, and intense. This might be what he needed to take him from mid sec defenses to top sec defenses. Maybe Im just a softy or too optimistic- but I'm pulling hard for him. And I believe he is gonna kill it. Lebby knows it too.

Ultimately what will determine his success is how many good players he can bring in. If he can he will succeed. If he can't he will not.

[Maroon Glasses]

The fan reaction appears to be mostly positive. That?s a nice change if you pay attention to our social media engagement.

I find it mostly positive too. The ones that are negative are just loud and stand behind it. And they have valid points to an extent.

[Maroon Glasses]

Ultimately what will determine his success is how many good players he can bring in. If he can he will succeed. If he can't he will not.

Very, very true. Nothing matters if he can't get players.

[Todd4State]

I find it mostly positive too. The ones that are negative are just loud and stand behind it. And they have valid points to an extent.

Personally, I think it would be good if MSU had an interview with him- could be at a news conference, could be with Charlie and Bart or Joe Rogan it doesn't matter- to hear his side of things and his journey.

If for no other reason we haven't heard it before. MSU hasn't put everything out there nor should they but we have heard some things publicly like Will Roger's Dad talking about how they were lied to but we haven't heard Arnett's side of things.

And I'm not saying everything needs to be aired out, boosters named all of that.

I think it should be things like did you really feel like you were ready to take the head coaching job when Leach passed away? Did you feel like you had the option to turn the job down and say no? If you had to do it over again what would you have done differently? What have you learned in the two years since then personally and professionally? Just keep it real candid. I don't think the guy should be tarred and feathered but just tell his side of things.

Now, I don't agree with the hire and certainly on the negative side of things. But my personal view of the reaction from fans is "hopeful that it will work out" which to me is more like fingers crossed and not really confident in it. And I think some people are viewing "hopeful" as "positive".

So, I think it would be good for MSU to put some kind of an interview out there with that because it could potentially help with those of us who feel negatively about it. To me, it seems like MSU too often wants to sweep things under the rug and "pay no attention to 2023 just look at 2020-2022" or whatever when they could probably help unify the program by being more candid at times with situations like this.

[Quaoarsking]

Personally, I think it would be good if MSU had an interview with him- could be at a news conference, could be with Charlie and Bart or Joe Rogan it doesn't matter- to hear his side of things and his journey.

You want the play by play of what led him to go to Wendy's with no clothes on?

[1bigdawg]

But my personal view of the reaction from fans is "hopeful that it will work out" which to me is more like fingers crossed and not really confident in it. And I think some people are viewing "hopeful" as "positive".

I believe that is the view of virtually all fans of any program that has a new significant hire: "hopeful that it works out." Penn State, Arkansas, etc. feel the same way.

[DownwardDawg]

You want the play by play of what led him to go to Wendy's with no clothes on?

Hail yeah!!!!! Now we're talking!!!!!!

[DEDawg]

Personally, I think it would be good if MSU had an interview with him- could be at a news conference, could be with Charlie and Bart or Joe Rogan it doesn't matter- to hear his side of things and his journey.

If for no other reason we haven't heard it before. MSU hasn't put everything out there nor should they but we have heard some things publicly like Will Roger's Dad talking about how they were lied to but we haven't heard Arnett's side of things.

And I'm not saying everything needs to be aired out, boosters named all of that.

I think it should be things like did you really feel like you were ready to take the head coaching job when Leach passed away? Did you feel like you had the option to turn the job down and say no? If you had to do it over again what would you have done differently? What have you learned in the two years since then personally and professionally? Just keep it real candid. I don't think the guy should be tarred and feathered but just tell his side of things.

Now, I don't agree with the hire and certainly on the negative side of things. But my personal view of the reaction from fans is "hopeful that it will work out" which to me is more like fingers crossed and not really confident in it. And I think some people are viewing "hopeful" as "positive".

So, I think it would be good for MSU to put some kind of an interview out there with that because it could potentially help with those of us who feel negatively about it. To me, it seems like MSU too often wants to sweep things under the rug and "pay no attention to 2023 just look at 2020-2022" or whatever when they could probably help unify the program by being more candid at times with situations like this.

While this would be great for us extreme fans on this board, overall I think it would bring a lot of attention to something the university would prefer we all move on from

[StarkVegasSteve]

Personally, I think it would be good if MSU had an interview with him- could be at a news conference, could be with Charlie and Bart or Joe Rogan it doesn't matter- to hear his side of things and his journey.

If for no other reason we haven't heard it before. MSU hasn't put everything out there nor should they but we have heard some things publicly like Will Roger's Dad talking about how they were lied to but we haven't heard Arnett's side of things.

And I'm not saying everything needs to be aired out, boosters named all of that.

I think it should be things like did you really feel like you were ready to take the head coaching job when Leach passed away? Did you feel like you had the option to turn the job down and say no? If you had to do it over again what would you have done differently? What have you learned in the two years since then personally and professionally? Just keep it real candid. I don't think the guy should be tarred and feathered but just tell his side of things.

Now, I don't agree with the hire and certainly on the negative side of things. But my personal view of the reaction from fans is "hopeful that it will work out" which to me is more like fingers crossed and not really confident in it. And I think some people are viewing "hopeful" as "positive".

So, I think it would be good for MSU to put some kind of an interview out there with that because it could potentially help with those of us who feel negatively about it. To me, it seems like MSU too often wants to sweep things under the rug and "pay no attention to 2023 just look at 2020-2022" or whatever when they could probably help unify the program by being more candid at times with situations like this.

In theory it's a great idea. But there's two outcomes of that happening and neither are good.

1. Arnett admits he was in over his head, listened to the wrong people, and overall lost control of the situation. That makes Mississippi State look bad for hiring him, our boostership look like Auburn or Florida, and brings back up issues people had in 2023.

2. Arnett acts defiant and doubles down on his decisions. This causes the Air Raid cult to go back after Arnett and continues to divide an already fractured fanbase.

Like I said, in theory it is a good idea and it would give answers to a lot of things that happened in his 10 months as HC. But you're appeasing 10% of the fanbase and pulling the curtain back and letting the rest of college football see how unorganized we were. That lets other coaches negatively recruit against you because they'll use the Arnett stuff against us.

[Really Clark?]

Personally, I think it would be good if MSU had an interview with him- could be at a news conference, could be with Charlie and Bart or Joe Rogan it doesn't matter- to hear his side of things and his journey.

If for no other reason we haven't heard it before. MSU hasn't put everything out there nor should they but we have heard some things publicly like Will Roger's Dad talking about how they were lied to but we haven't heard Arnett's side of things.

And I'm not saying everything needs to be aired out, boosters named all of that.

I think it should be things like did you really feel like you were ready to take the head coaching job when Leach passed away? Did you feel like you had the option to turn the job down and say no? If you had to do it over again what would you have done differently? What have you learned in the two years since then personally and professionally? Just keep it real candid. I don't think the guy should be tarred and feathered but just tell his side of things.

Now, I don't agree with the hire and certainly on the negative side of things. But my personal view of the reaction from fans is "hopeful that it will work out" which to me is more like fingers crossed and not really confident in it. And I think some people are viewing "hopeful" as "positive".

So, I think it would be good for MSU to put some kind of an interview out there with that because it could potentially help with those of us who feel negatively about it. To me, it seems like MSU too often wants to sweep things under the rug and "pay no attention to 2023 just look at 2020-2022" or whatever when they could probably help unify the program by being more candid at times with situations like this.

I think he should come in, say suck it bitches, I'm back!! Gator don't play no shit! Mic drop and do the DX suck it thrust right into the camera. Walk off stage taking no questions.***

[tcdog70]

do we need a good DC--hell yes-so we get Arnett-a proven DC. that problem for Lebby is over. We will Know how to Blitz again. Now Lebby needs a clock management coach and a special team Coach.

[StarkVegasSteve]

do we need a good DC--hell yes-so we get Arnett-a proven DC. that problem for Lebby is over. We will Know how to Blitz again. Now Lebby needs a clock management coach and a special team Coach.

He needs an OC is what he needs so he can focus on stuff like clock management. But he also needs a special teams coach too.

[Tripp McNeely]

I think he should come in, say suck it bitches, I'm back!! Gator don't play no shit! Mic drop and do the DX suck it thrust right into the camera. Walk off stage taking no questions.***

This one made me laugh out loud, especially the Gator reference! ...underrated movie

[StarkVegasSteve]

I think he should come in, say suck it bitches, I'm back!! Gator don't play no shit! Mic drop and do the DX suck it thrust right into the camera. Walk off stage taking no questions.***

Honestly I'd respect the hell out of him. He tried to make the program his own. If he owned it I would probably say he grew as a coach.


Also "Gator don't play no shit" would be incredible. A great reference.

[Coursesuper]

I think he should come in, say suck it bitches, I'm back!! Gator don't play no shit! Mic drop and do the DX suck it thrust right into the camera. Walk off stage taking no questions.***

Best post in this tread!

[KB21]

I think he should have to explain why he not only didn't pursue any coach that ran any version of the Air Raid offense, but also why he lied to the players about keeping the offense the same.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I think he should have to explain why he not only didn't pursue any coach that ran any version of the Air Raid offense, but also why he lied to the players about keeping the offense the same.

But what good does that do? How does that best serve Mississippi State moving forward? It doesn't. It's so the Air Raid cult can have some weird satisfaction that they were correct, even though firing him 10 games in should've been satisfaction enough. I mean what is him doing that going to accomplish? Nothing. And maybe that's what you're wanting. You're wanting him fired so you want him to come up and say some stuff that'll get everyone fired up so he'll be fired. He doesn't have to acknowledge his mistakes. He paid for them with his job.

It's water under the bridge at this point. If we didn't suck in 23, we were going to suck in 24. Leach's recruiting was a ticking time bomb. As long as he was coaching, the timer kept getting reset. The minute he stopped we knew we were on the clock for a rebuild. And we all acknowledged it when he was hired and multiple times after.

[Coursesuper]

Looking at this tread now and all this Air Raid bullshit coming back around reminds me of the most important things I really learned from college. Who not to be my Lawyer and who not to be my doctor.

[KB21]

But what good does that do? How does that best serve Mississippi State moving forward? It doesn't. It's so the Air Raid cult can have some weird satisfaction that they were correct, even though firing him 10 games in should've been satisfaction enough. I mean what is him doing that going to accomplish? Nothing. And maybe that's what you're wanting. You're wanting him fired so you want him to come up and say some stuff that'll get everyone fired up so he'll be fired. He doesn't have to acknowledge his mistakes. He paid for them with his job.

It's water under the bridge at this point. If we didn't suck in 23, we were going to suck in 24. Leach's recruiting was a ticking time bomb. As long as he was coaching, the timer kept getting reset. The minute he stopped we knew we were on the clock for a rebuild. And we all acknowledged it when he was hired and multiple times after.

The fact that he is being brought back to the program he destroyed, he should have to acknowledge it.

[Thick]

I think he should come in, say suck it bitches, I'm back!! Gator don't play no shit! Mic drop and do the DX suck it thrust right into the camera. Walk off stage taking no questions.***

Nice guy!

[TrapGame]

The fact that he is being brought back to the program he destroyed, he should have to acknowledge it.

Hey, Elsa. Let it go.

[StarkVegasSteve]

The fact that he is being brought back to the program he destroyed, he should have to acknowledge it.

He didn't destroy it and you know that. Dave Emerick and Matt Dudek destroyed our program. Leach, God rest his soul, had a hand in that. He hired them, or signed off on it, and they were in charge of recruiting. The fall off was never going to be evident under Mike because Mike got more out of his players and knew his scheme so well that he schemed G5 guys consistently open against top tier P4 defenders. But we all knew the minute Mike left, we were going to be rebuilding because we knew we had to build up recruiting. You could look at our roster and see that.

[Brobi-wan]

I think he should come in, say suck it bitches, I'm back!! Gator don't play no shit! Mic drop and do the DX suck it thrust right into the camera. Walk off stage taking no questions.***

Made my fianc?e watch this movie for the first time this year

[Coursesuper]

He didn't destroy it and you know that. Dave Emerick and Matt Dudek destroyed our program. Leach, God rest his soul, had a hand in that. He hired them, or signed off on it, and they were in charge of recruiting. The fall off was never going to be evident under Mike because Mike got more out of his players and knew his scheme so well that he schemed G5 guys consistently open against top tier P4 defenders. But we all knew the minute Mike left, we were going to be rebuilding because we knew we had to build up recruiting. You could look at our roster and see that.

You have captured the situation perfectly. It is so evident that we were looking at a significant loss of talent more so on the defensive side of the ball where they really dropped the ball. That pair hurt us and burned some bridges in this state that we are still trying to repair.

[Todd4State]

In theory it's a great idea. But there's two outcomes of that happening and neither are good.

1. Arnett admits he was in over his head, listened to the wrong people, and overall lost control of the situation. That makes Mississippi State look bad for hiring him, our boostership look like Auburn or Florida, and brings back up issues people had in 2023.

2. Arnett acts defiant and doubles down on his decisions. This causes the Air Raid cult to go back after Arnett and continues to divide an already fractured fanbase.

Like I said, in theory it is a good idea and it would give answers to a lot of things that happened in his 10 months as HC. But you're appeasing 10% of the fanbase and pulling the curtain back and letting the rest of college football see how unorganized we were. That lets other coaches negatively recruit against you because they'll use the Arnett stuff against us.

Oh damn. Maybe what happened was worse than I thought. But I definitely see your points. My hope would be that it would be something that would make him look better and give him some redemption but maybe not.

MSU is definitely making an effort to kind of black out 2023. The press release almost entirely skips over the fact that he was the head coach outside of one sentence.

[Todd4State]

I think he should come in, say suck it bitches, I'm back!! Gator don't play no shit! Mic drop and do the DX suck it thrust right into the camera. Walk off stage taking no questions.***

Awesome!

[Todd4State]

You want the play by play of what led him to go to Wendy's with no clothes on?

Not awesome!

He's never going to live that down. It's his penance for 2023.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Oh damn. Maybe what happened was worse than I thought. But I definitely see your points. My hope would be that it would be something that would make him look better and give him some redemption but maybe not.

MSU is definitely making an effort to kind of black out 2023. The press release almost entirely skips over the fact that he was the head coach outside of one sentence.

I mean what was the press release going to say, "Arnett returns to Mississippi State after being the HC for a whole 10 games culminating in 51-3 loss against, also outgoing coach, Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M. During his short tenure as coach he hired one of the worst offensive coordinators P4 football has ever seen, gave a scholarship to Ryland Goede, and somehow managed to make Mississippi State fans realize that the backup was in fact WORSE than the starter. During his sabbatical from Starkville, he somehow made Ole Miss fans miss him and he learned that, the social media era, What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas."

I mean we fired the guy after 10 games, that's Mississippi State admitting we made a mistake.

[Coach34]

The fact that he is being brought back to the program he destroyed, he should have to acknowledge it.

He didnt really destroy it. As SVS said- we were going to suck in 24 regardless. The cupboard was bare and we had just started getting NIL on the right track. It hasnt been that long ago that Charlie had to take the bull by the horns and get things organized there. Arnett did us no favors but destroying is a little overboard. The Air Raid toll had to be paid in 2024 regardless

[StarkVegasSteve]

He didnt really destroy it. As SVS said- we were going to suck in 24 regardless. The cupboard was bare and we had just started getting NIL on the right track. It hasnt been that long ago that Charlie had to take the bull by the horns and get things organized there. Arnett did us no favors but destroying is a little overboard. The Air Raid toll had to be paid in 2024 regardless

This is the best I've heard it. We had a toll to pay.

[Todd4State]

I mean what was the press release going to say, "Arnett returns to Mississippi State after being the HC for a whole 10 games culminating in 51-3 loss against, also outgoing coach, Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M. During his short tenure as coach he hired one of the worst offensive coordinators P4 football has ever seen, gave a scholarship to Ryland Goede, and somehow managed to make Mississippi State fans realize that the backup was in fact WORSE than the starter. During his sabbatical from Starkville, he somehow made Ole Miss fans miss him and he learned that, the social media era, What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas."

I mean we fired the guy after 10 games, that's Mississippi State admitting we made a mistake.

Oh, I get why they did it. It's just kind of funny in a way.

[KB21]

This is the best I've heard it. We had a toll to pay.

I disagree with this idea. They could have absolutely transitioned to one of the modern versions of the Air Raid. I get that no one would run it like Leach, but there are a lot of offensive coordinators that run a version of the Air Raid.

[Maroon Glasses]

I think everyone had a part to play in it. To say Arnett destroyed the program is far fetched.. as one man can't just do that IF the surrounding pieces are trying to build and improve the situation. I think Arnett knew he was over his head and fully expected help along the way. Instead of getting the help, he just became a "tool" for boosters and others around him and ultimately the fall guy. And I'm not saying he did not wrong, he did. I'm just saying it's hard for one guy to destroy a program if everyone around him is trying to accomplish the opposite. I think he was set up to fail.

[KB21]

I think everyone had a part to play in it. To say Arnett destroyed the program is far fetched.. as one man can't just do that IF the surrounding pieces are trying to build and improve the situation. I think Arnett knew he was over his head and fully expected help along the way. Instead of getting the help, he just became a "tool" for boosters and others around him and ultimately the fall guy. And I'm not saying he did not wrong, he did. I'm just saying it's hard for one guy to destroy a program if everyone around him is trying to accomplish the opposite. I think he was set up to fail.

There was a group of people that basically wanted to remove everything associated with Mike Leach from the program, and whether or not he intended to, Arnett allowed them to use him as the conduit to make that happen.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I disagree with this idea. They could have absolutely transitioned to one of the modern versions of the Air Raid. I get that no one would run it like Leach, but there are a lot of offensive coordinators that run a version of the Air Raid.

That's not the point. No one is arguing that offensively he probably made a mistake by hiring an idiot. What we're all saying is that no matter what happened, we could've hired [insert name AR name we were discussing] and we probably are still going to suck. It cannot be understated how BAD we were roster wise under Leach. But it also cannot understated how incredible he was at taking a pre Pavia type Vandy roster and winning 8 games. There was always going to be a massive drop off. We knew that. Leach didn't recruit SEC caliber athletes, for the most part, because he didn't need them. He won with low level P4 and G5 guys. I mean go to our 2023 roster, in which we won 8 regular season games. We had MAYBE 5 P4 skills players. That team won 4 conference games. Our whole roster costs MAYBE 5 mil that year. We were beating teams with 10 million dollar offensive rosters.

[Coursesuper]

I disagree with this idea. They could have absolutely transitioned to one of the modern versions of the Air Raid. I get that no one would run it like Leach, but there are a lot of offensive coordinators that run a version of the Air Raid.

I'm afraid you are missing the point. That pair did some real damage to our recruiting, they damaged many hard earned relationships throughout our recruiting footprint. We are still working to repair some of these, one example is with some of the " handlers" in the south part of our state. We will play hell trying to get an player out of Picayune or George County.

[Activated Alpha]

Only State could find a way to drown in a dry bathtub

[SPMT]

Only State could find a way to drown in a dry bathtub

Haha! True.

How did a mother17er that was the HC for one year destroy the program.

The administration destroyed the program. No AD, knee jerk HC hire and more.

Arnett doesn?t owe State shit for his past.

[bigplayslay]

Haha! True.

How did a mother17er that was the HC for one year destroy the program.

The administration destroyed the program. No AD, knee jerk HC hire and more.

Arnett doesn?t owe State shit for his past.

Lol. It's crazy. If I knew nothing about Arnett before reading this board, I'd think he was a psycho who is a pathological liar and isn't even a respectable human being.

[DownwardDawg]

Lol. It's crazy. If I knew nothing about Arnett before reading this board, I'd think he was a psycho who is a pathological liar and isn't even a respectable human being.

You just described Lane Kiffin!!!!

[bigplayslay]

You just described Lane Kiffin!!!!

Ha! Only after he did what no one would ever do and leave Oxford

[Jarius]

I disagree with this idea. They could have absolutely transitioned to one of the modern versions of the Air Raid. I get that no one would run it like Leach, but there are a lot of offensive coordinators that run a version of the Air Raid.

We didn’t have money to Buy players because cohen is an idiot. It didn’t matter what offense we ran after 2023, we were going to suck.

[speedy1972]

He didn't destroy it and you know that. Dave Emerick and Matt Dudek destroyed our program. Leach, God rest his soul, had a hand in that. He hired them, or signed off on it, and they were in charge of recruiting. The fall off was never going to be evident under Mike because Mike got more out of his players and knew his scheme so well that he schemed G5 guys consistently open against top tier P4 defenders. But we all knew the minute Mike left, we were going to be rebuilding because we knew we had to build up recruiting. You could look at our roster and see that.

Arnette didn't personally destroy our program. However, he was asked to do something he didn't ask for and certainly wasn't qualified to do. That solely falls on the president since we didn't have an AD at the time.
Arnette was an up and coming DC who did a great job for us for three years. He doesn't have and never did have the temperament to be a HC in the SEC. A HC is a CEO and he is just an area supervisor. However, Leach gave him total autonomy with the Defense and left him the hell alone. And for three years, no one that I know was bitching about our defense. Yes, he screwed up (allegedly) in Vegas, but if we start getting on that moral high ground for coaches, there wouldn't be many to pass that test... Petrino, Freeze, Orgeron, Urban Meyer, Kiffen, where should I stop??? Pull up OM's head coach's mug shot for DUI.
Let the man do his job. I can assure you that no one will be more determined than ZA. If he has enough talent to work with, he will be a big upgrade from what we had under Hutzler.

[StarkVegasSteve]

Arnette didn't personally destroy our program. However, he was asked to do something he didn't ask for and certainly wasn't qualified to do. That solely falls on the president since we didn't have an AD at the time.
Arnette was an up and coming DC who did a great job for us for three years. He doesn't have and never did have the temperament to be a HC in the SEC. A HC is a CEO and he is just an area supervisor. However, Leach gave him total autonomy with the Defense and left him the hell alone. And for three years, no one that I know was bitching about our defense. Yes, he screwed up (allegedly) in Vegas, but if we start getting on that moral high ground for coaches, there wouldn't be many to pass that test... Petrino, Freeze, Orgeron, Urban Meyer, Kiffen, where should I stop??? Pull up OM's head coach's mug shot for DUI.
Let the man do his job. I can assure you that no one will be more determined than ZA. If he has enough talent to work with, he will be a big upgrade from what we had under Hutzler.

Agree 100%. Zach was not remotely qualified to be the HC when he took the job. We panic hired him to keep a, hindsight being 20/20, BAD recruiting class together.

[Todd4State]

Agree 100%. Zach was not remotely qualified to be the HC when he took the job. We panic hired him to keep a, hindsight being 20/20, BAD recruiting class together.

The fact that we were worried about keeping a high school class together in the NIL/portal era just shows how out of touch our football program was at the time.

[BlackSailsDawg]

The fact that we were worried about keeping a high school class together in the NIL/portal era just shows how out of touch our football program was at the time.

The only worse team in the SEC than us was and still is Arkansas.

Just be thankful Cohen is gone and that we don't have the Ark AD. That man is a moron! He says things that should never be made public. Example. Hunter Yurachek publicly said that Pittman “did not have the resources he needed to appropriately compete” in the conference.

WHO IS AT FAULT? Yurachek. No self awareness. That is your friggin job. And he is STILL their AD. We have a 2 year jump on them.

[StarkVegasSteve]

The fact that we were worried about keeping a high school class together in the NIL/portal era just shows how out of touch our football program was at the time.

We had no AD, a former compliance guy as the interim(who turned us, the school paying him, in multiple times for paying players), a university president who is far too involved in athletics to not have an understanding of NIL, and an overzealous group of boosters that saw an opportunity to get some sources on staff.

It was the perfect storm of bad things. We had a chance to swing big and didn't.

[StarkVegasSteve]

The only worse team in the SEC than us was and still is Arkansas.

Just be thankful Cohen is gone and that we don't have the Ark AD. That man is a moron! He says things that should never be made public. Example. Hunter Yurachek publicly said that Pittman “did not have the resources he needed to appropriately compete” in the conference.

WHO IS AT FAULT? Yurachek. No self awareness. That is your friggin job. And he is STILL their AD. We have a 2 year jump on them.

As long as John Calipari is employed as the Arkansas basketball coach, they will continue to suffer in this new era of college football. He will take 8-12 mil of NIL, between rev share and private donations, each and every year. That's an extra 5-7 mil that football is not getting every year.

[BlackSailsDawg]

As long as John Calipari is employed as the Arkansas basketball coach, they will continue to suffer in this new era of college football. He will take 8-12 mil of NIL, between rev share and private donations, each and every year. That's an extra 5-7 mil that football is not getting every year.

And here's the thing. The AD had NOTHING to do with getting him. That was a booster.

[Coursesuper]

We had no AD, a former compliance guy as the interim(who turned us, the school paying him, in multiple times for paying players), a university president who is far too involved in athletics to not have an understanding of NIL, and an overzealous group of boosters that saw an opportunity to get some sources on staff.

It was the perfect storm of bad things. We had a chance to swing big and didn't.

Add in boosters infighting with each other and the administration at the same time it made of the perfect storm of dumb****ery.