By Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE – Jeff Lebby, a dynamic play caller and the mastermind behind many of college football’s most feared offenses, has been named the 36th head football coach in Mississippi State history, Director of Athletics Zac Selmon announced Sunday.

Lebby is set to arrive at George M. Bryan Airport in Starkville on Sunday night at 8 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to attend and welcome the Lebby family to Starkville. Lebby will be introduced at a celebration Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. CT outside the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. The event is open to the public and will be followed by a press conference for the media inside of the Seal Complex.

“As we continue to invest in excellence at Mississippi State, the future of our football program is incredibly bright with the addition of Jeff Lebby at the helm,” Selmon said. “I am confident that Jeff is the perfect leader for the next exciting chapter of Mississippi State football. He will bring an exciting brand of football, elite student-athlete development, and a winning culture to Starkville, all while doing so with high integrity. He is a dynamic recruiter who will attract an elite coaching staff and the nation’s top talent. There is no doubt in my mind that Jeff’s leadership, vision, and resilient work ethic will take this program to incredible heights. We could not be more excited to welcome Jeff, his wife Staley, and their children Kora and Kane to the Mississippi State family. It is a great time to be a Bulldog and only going to get better.”

One of college football’s top offensive minds, Lebby has orchestrated high-octane offenses at every stop of his career, including Oklahoma, Ole Miss and UCF.

Most recently in 2023, Lebby’s prolific unit is one of only three in the country to rank inside the top six nationally in total offense, scoring offense and passing offense. LSU and Oregon are the others.

“I want to commend MSU Athletics Director Zac Selmon for leading a very comprehensive and thorough national search that produced Coach Jeff Lebby as our new head football coach at Mississippi State University,” MSU President Mark E. Keenum said. “Coach Lebby is one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football and I look forward to him leading our football program to the standard our loyal Bulldog fan base wants and deserves.”

An elite recruiter and dynamic talent developer, Lebby’s offenses are known for lighting up the scoreboard and racking up yards. Since becoming an offensive coordinator at the FBS level in 2019, he has led all active offensive coordinators in 50+ point games (14). His 2023 unit at Oklahoma has scored 65+ points three times (most in the FBS) and sits at No. 3 nationally in scoring offense (43.2 ppg).

“Being the head coach at Mississippi State is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Lebby said. “My family and I are fired up to engrain ourselves in this community, build relationships with our players, and hit the recruiting trail. This is a special place with special people and a football program with a storied tradition. I couldn’t be more thrilled to add our dynamic offensive scheme to an NFL powerhouse with a nationally regarded history of elite defensive play. I am truly honored and appreciative of Athletics Director Zac Selmon and President Dr. Mark Keenum for this special opportunity. I can’t wait to lead Mississippi State football into the future, while competing in college football’s premier conference. Hail State!”

The offensive maestro’s units have finished in the top six nationally in total offense three times over the last five seasons, including No. 2 with UCF in 2019 (540.5 ypg) and then No. 3 with Ole Miss in 2020 (555.5 ypg). Oklahoma finished the 2023 regular season with the nation’s No. 4 ranked offense (502.4 ppg).

Since 2019, Lebby’s scheme has produced five individual 3,000-yard passing seasons and four individual 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Explosive plays have been a trademark of Lebby-coached offenses. His units have ranked inside the top 25 in that category in each of his five seasons coordinating offenses:

Plays of 20+ Yards From Scrimmage
2023: 73 – Oklahoma (No. 9 in FBS)
2022: 75 – Oklahoma (No. 25 in FBS)
2021: 74 – Ole Miss (No. 17 in FBS)
2020: 71 – Ole Miss (No. 9 in FBS)
2019: 95 – UCF (No. 6 in FBS)

Among active FBS offensive coordinators with a minimum of two years experience since 2019, Lebby ranks (according to Sport Source Analytics):

• No. 1 in first downs + touchdowns (1,580)
• No. 1 in rushes + completions per game (65.7)
• No. 2 in offensive plays per game (77.33)
• No. 3 in offensive points per minute (1.48)
• No. 3 in offensive plays per minute (2.83)
• No. 3 in percentage of games with 70 or more rushes + completions (26.20)
• No. 3 in average touchdown time of possession (2:14)
• No. 4 in red zone drives per game (4.95)
• No. 4 in percentage of 30+ yard plays (4.39)
• No. 6 in yards per passing attempt (8.99)
• No. 6 in percentage of plays gaining 25+ yards or resulting in a touchdown (10.5)
• No. 7 in yards per completion (13.77)
• No. 7 in 50+ yard drives (42.84)
• No. 8 in quarterback passer rating (109.5)
• No. 8 in yards per play (6.63)
• No. 8 in 2+ first down drives (52.26)
• No. 10 in touchdown percentage (36.59)
• No. 10 in points per possession (2.43)
• No. 11 in passing yards per game (302.58)
• No. 14 in big play (12+ run/15+ pass) percentage (15.45)

Lebby is no stranger to the Southeastern Conference. Before joining Brent Venables’ first staff at Oklahoma, Lebby spent two seasons in Oxford directing Ole Miss’ offense and coaching quarterbacks.

Lebby’s group led the SEC in total offense in 2021 (492.5 ypg; ranked No. 6 nationally) and also topped the conference in his first season in Oxford in 2020 (555.5 ypg; ranked No. 3 nationally). He was tabbed a semifinalist for the prestigious Broyles Award in each of those seasons. Lebby’s 2020 unit also broke the SEC record for total offense in conference play (562.4 ypg).

Lebby tutored Ole Miss signal-caller Matt Corral, who completed 70.9 percent of his passes in 2020 for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns in 10 games. Corral led the nation with 384.9 yards of total offense per game and ranked fifth with 333.7 passing yards per contest. He was the only player in 2021 who passed for at least 3,000 yards and rushed for more than 500 (614; 11 TDs).

Prior to Ole Miss, Lebby spent two seasons at UCF under then-head coach and former Oklahoma All-American quarterback Josh Heupel. Lebby was the Knights’ quarterbacks coach in 2018 before being elevated to offensive coordinator for the 2019 season.

Behind Lebby’s electric offense, in 2019, UCF set a school record and ranked second nationally in total offense (540.5 ypg) and fifth in the country in scoring offense (43.4 ppg). His unit was one of only two in the nation to produce more than 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game. The other was Oklahoma.

As quarterbacks coach in 2018, Lebby helped lead UCF to its second consecutive undefeated regular season, the American Athletic Conference championship, and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl. The Knights were ranked as high as seven nationally. He mentored McKenzie Milton, who threw for 2,662 yards and 25 touchdowns en route to his second American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year honor and a sixth-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting. Milton’s passing efficiency of 160.97 was the fourth-best in UCF history and ranked ninth in the nation. Milton also ranked third nationally with 15.57 yards per completion.

Lebby served as offensive coordinator at NAIA Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, during the 2017 season. He helped guide the Fire to the nation’s best scoring offense (55.1 ppg) and ranked third in total offense (557.4 ypg) while posting a 5-0 conference record and earning a bid to the national playoffs.

Prior to Southeastern, Lebby served in various capacities on the football staff at Baylor. He coached running backs from 2012-16 and was also the passing game coordinator and offensive recruiting coordinator in 2015 and 2016. From 2008-11, he served as assistant director of football operations in charge of offensive quality control and was the program’s liaison to the NFL.

In Lebby’s five seasons as Baylor’s running backs coach, he coached five 1,000-yard rushers. Baylor’s 2015 squad ranked No. 2 in the nation in rushing offense, while two Bears went over 1,000 yards that season. Lebby earned 2013 FootballScoop Running Backs Coach of the Year honors after coaching Baylor’s first back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher.

Before transitioning into the college ranks, Lebby served as the offensive line/tight ends coach at Victoria (Texas) Memorial High School in 2007.

A former Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman, Lebby graduated from OU in 2007. His college playing career was cut short due to injury, but he transitioned to a role as a student assistant for the program for four years.

Lebby and his wife, Staley, have a daughter, Kora, and one son, Kane.

THE LEBBY FILE
Hometown: Andrews, Texas
High School: Andrews, 2002
College: Oklahoma, 2007
Wife: Staley
Children: Kora, Kane

COACHING HISTORY
2022-Present: Oklahoma (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2020-21: Ole Miss (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2019: UCF (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2018: UCF (Quarterbacks/Passing Game Coordinator)
2017: Southeastern (Offensive Coordinator)
2015-16: Baylor (Passing Game/Offensive Recruiting Coordinator)
2012-16: Baylor (Running Backs)
2008-11: Baylor (Assistant Director of Football Operations)
2007: Victoria (Texas) Memorial HS (Offensive Line/Tight Ends Coach)
2003-06: Oklahoma (Student Assistant)

BOWLS COACHED (16)
2022: Cheez-It (Oklahoma)
2021: Sugar (Ole Miss)
2021: Outback (Ole Miss)
2019: Gasparilla (UCF)
2019: Fiesta (UCF)
2016: Cactus (Baylor)
2015: Russell Athletic (Baylor)
2015: Cotton (Baylor)
2014: Fiesta (Baylor)
2012: Holiday (Baylor)
2011: Alamo (Baylor)
2010: Texas (Baylor)
2007: Fiesta (Oklahoma)
2005: Holiday (Oklahoma)
2005: Orange (Oklahoma)
2004: Sugar (Oklahoma)