Report: Florida State hires former Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett to analyst role

Former Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett is reportedly set to join the staff at Florida State. 247Sports’ Brendan Sonnone was first to report the news and On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed it.

Arnett will join the staff in an analyst role. He is expected to aid on the defensive side of the ball working under defensive coordinator Tony White.

The 38-year-old served as the Mississippi State head coach in 2023, taking over for the late Mike Leach in late 2022. He spent only one year as the full-time coach before the Bulldogs went another direction. But he was praised by athletics director Zac Selmon for the job he did while in charge.

“Zach took on an unprecedented and challenging situation last December,” Selmon said at the time. “He provided the football program much needed leadership and stability during a tragic time. There is no question that he has made a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes during his time here. We are grateful for his contributions to Mississippi State and wish him the very best both personally and professionally.”

More recently, Zach Arnett was hired at UNLV as the program’s new defensive coordinator under coach Dan Mullen. But he abruptly left the team in April for “personal reasons.”

Despite both having deep ties in Starkville, neither Arnett nor Mullen had worked together at Mississippi State. Arnett was a hire of the late Mike Leach, joining the Bulldogs in 2020 from San Diego State. Mullen was still in the SEC at the time but with the Florida Gators. The two never faced off against one another either due to divisions within the conference.

Still, there was at least some level of familiarity between the two, and Arnett was tapped for a role on Mullen’s staff. He had other offers, too.

UNLV was not the only school coming after Zach Arnett to be its defensive coordinator this offseason. Appalachian State — which also has another recently hired head coach in Dowell Loggains — was pursuing the former Mississippi State headman as well.

Prior to taking the job at UNLV, Zach Arnett spent one season at Ole Miss as an analyst on Lane Kiffin‘s staff. Now he’ll once again return to an analyst role, this time on staff at Florida State.