There are a lot of things going on for the first time at Mississippi State these days. Fall football practice is underway and Jeff Lebby is building a new culture at State, his first stint as a head coach. Considering last season’s dismal showing, the Dawgs could use a complete makeover and the culture is at the heart of rebuilding, especially for them.
MSU has been through four different head coaches since 2017. Despite that fact, State had been on a bowl streak since 2009. But that all stopped with the 2023 season. Few programs had been through the trauma of losing their head coach to sudden death as they did in 2022 with the passing of Mike Leach. They were on an upward trajectory finishing that season at 9-4 and 20th in the country. Perhaps the Bulldogs were in shock in 2023, grieving not only their coach but the loss of their program too.
When athletic director Zac Selmon set out to find a new head coach, he may have been looking for stability to end the grieving. Lebby had no head-coaching experience, but he was someone with whom Selmon was familiar. He was someone Selmon knew could instill core values.
At SEC Media Days, Lebby stressed several elements that are at the core of his program. “We talk about four things nonstop inside the program,” Lebby said. “We talk about having fun, being tough, being competitive, and then being accountable, and we break those things down in different ways.”
Fun in the Mississippi Sun
The upheaval could be considered an understatement of how Lebby approached the start of his position. He brought in a whole new coaching staff, a new offense, and for the most part a new roster. A certain amount of anxiety goes with such upheaval, plus the stress of workouts, practice, going to class, and playing in what some consider the toughest conference.
Lebby feels that when building a new program, fun often gets lost. “We’ve got 18 to 22-year-old kids that need to have an incredible college experience,” Lebby said. “These guys need to have a great experience while at State. It’s going to be incredibly hard doing what we do. We understand that. But I want our people inside our building to have fun in the doing.”
There is a need to keep it light, and that means getting the right kind of players, a perk that a head coach has in being able to pick them. Lebby wants them to be good on and off the field, where personality plays into keeping it positive. “Yeah, to me, you have one opportunity to protect the program, and that is by who you choose to be inside the locker room,” Lebby said. “So finding the right people and finding the right guys that will thrive in our incredible college town and our community will be forever important because that is how you protect the program, and that’s how you protect the pick.”
Being Tough
It goes without saying that playing in any of the Power Four conferences is tough, the SEC probably more so. When a team is digging out from under a season like the Bulldogs had last year, toughness needs to be more than physical. That may be where fun and toughness play well together,
“Toughness travels,” Lebby said. “This is a league that is built on toughness…I love that fact of being able to lead our program in a way that creates opportunities for guys to be tough.”
A Competitive Culture
Lebby fosters his players to be competitive, not only against opponents but also within their positions. With so many fresh faces, it’s important to see who’s willing to fight for their jobs. It also gives the coaches an idea of who could be the fiercest against opponents on Saturday.
“The most competitive league in all of college football,” Lebby said. “So how many different ways can we create a competitive situation?…having competitive situations inside of everything that we’re doing is a huge part of our program and our culture.”
Accountable as a Team
It takes 11 guys on the field, working together for a successful football team. Within that framework, the phrase “do your job,” has come out of the mouths of coaches, probably since the game began. But it is more than that and extends beyond the players. Accountability permeates the entire organization as part of the foundation of Lebby’s program.
“Then a culture of accountability, being accountable to the guy next to you,” Lebby said. “From a staffing standpoint, being accountable to the guy that you’re sharing an office with or sharing a wall with every single day and doing right by the people inside the building.
Still the UnderDawg
The foundation that State’s new head coach is creating, may have more bearing on seasons to come if the predictions of most pundits ring true this year. ESPN’s College Football Power Index projects the Bulldogs to win only five games this season. This would once again take them out of the running for a bowl game, the second in a row. Also, in most rankings of the SEC, they are predicted to be 15th out of 16 teams, just above Vanderbilt.
Perhaps those predictions are predicated on State having the second toughest schedule in the country. A tough road for Lebby in his first season.
But the culture up to this point doesn’t seem to phase the players and there is an air of confidence. Starting quarterback Blake Shapen is still juiced about the season. “I feel like that being overlooked fuels us in a way that makes us want to go out there and prove a lot of people wrong, and I’m excited,” Shapen said.
If anyone could be pessimistic, it might be veteran linebacker John Lewis. This will be his fourth head coach since he arrived with the Dawgs in 2021. But he too loves what Lebby has created. “It’s been great since he came in because I feel like we have more energy, and it’s more of a family, more than just football,” Lewis said. That perhaps, is exactly what Lebby’s goal is for this season, family and more than football. It might just be the right culture at the right time.
