What Is Zach Arnett Doing to Honor Mike Leach and Make Mississippi State Football His Own?

Zach Arnett is making Mississippi State football his own while honoring Mike Leach throughout the process.

New Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett is no Mike Leach but he does have a lot to offer the Mississippi State football program. 

That's something university president Mark Keenum knows.

"He brings drive and intensity to the task," Keenum said when he announced Arnett's hire. 

Arnett is working on turning this team into his own. He could have hired one of Leach's former assistants and kept the offense how it was but he chose not to. 

He completely scrapped the Air Raid and wants to do things differently. He believes Leach would not have any problem with that and would want him to do what is best for the program.

Arnett wants to build a strong explosive team that creates its own takeaways and brings energy to the game of football. 

"I want us to look like a tough, hard-nosed football team," Arnett said, "Who still does all the things that good football teams do: You play clean football; you don't turn the ball over; hopefully, you create takeaways; you create explosive plays on offense; you limit 'em on defense; you win the field position battle on special teams; all that stuff. But just simply, I would hope when you turn on the film you see a team who looks like they play the game with some energy and some excitement." 

Leach had a way of simplifying the game of football for the players and Arnett is pulling that in with the program he is building up from the ground. Leach will continue to be honored but the last of his system was seen in the Reliaquest Bowl. From there the coaching turned over to Arnett and it is his program to make now. 

Some of Arnett's biggest takeaways from Leach are the invaluable late-night phone calls and the quiet moments spent together. 

Anything Leach had ever said to Arnett always had a piece of wisdom along with it. What Arnett has left are those memories and the left-behind curated thoughts on coaching. "It's a lifetime of common sense wisdom," Arnett said. 

The left-behind notes are Arnett's inspiration that he will pull into his own playbook. Leach may be gone but he touched so many hearts and has forever changed the game of football. 

It is well-known that Arnett and his new coaching staff are building the program off of the strengths their players have. One of Arnett's favorite phrases from Leach is: "Never take counsel of your fears. Emphasize your strengths." 

Even though gone, Leach continues to inspire the game of football despite the Bulldogs doing things differently after his passing.