Ex-Bulldogs coach Arnett joins Ole Miss as analyst

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterMar 6, 2024, 02:18 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

Ole Miss is hiring former Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett as a defensive analyst, a team spokesman told ESPN on Wednesday.

Arnett, 37, spent the 2023 season as Mississippi State coach after arriving as defensive coordinator in 2020. Mississippi State promoted Arnett following the death of coach Mike Leach in December 2022. Arnett was fired in November after the team dropped to 4-6; he had three years left on his contract.

He now will be on the other side of the Egg Bowl rivalry with Ole Miss, which is targeting its first College Football Playoff appearance after finishing No. 9 last year. Ole Miss will host Mississippi State on Nov. 30.

Arnett will join a veteran defensive staff led by coordinator Pete Golding and co-coordinator Bryan Brown.

Before Mississippi State, Arnett served as defensive coordinator at San Diego State in 2018 and 2019. He started his coaching career at San Diego State under coach Rocky Long in 2011.