Mississippi State's Zac Selmon Reveals What He's Seeking in Future Football Head Coach

Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon lists qualities that a new football head coach needs to have.

Mississippi State football head coach Zach Arnett was "relieved of his duties" on Monday morning after a rough start in his first season holding the position.

Analyst Greg Knox will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season. He previously served as the Bulldogs' interim head coach during the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl, where he led the team to a 31-27 win over Louisville.

Knox won't serve as the head coach next season though, as athletic director Zac Selmon and his team are actively looking to appoint someone else. Selmon detailed what he's seeking in a new head coach during Monday's press conference, stating that "winning qualities" are a top priority.

"What you look for is someone who has winning traits and knows what winning looks like at the highest level, both schematically and programmatically," Selmon said. "You know when you've got winning DNA, so we don't want to pigeonhole where we're at, but you clearly also want someone who builds culture. You're competing in this league and you're competing at the tip of the spear, which excites everybody."

Coaching during practice, team meetings, and games is only half the battle though, as recruiting is a tremendous part of college football. Selmon emphasized that Mississippi State's new head coach must "know the game and can recruit."

"Recruiting is such a changing landscape, so we want someone that has those dimensions and clearly understands how to develop talent," Selmon said. "When we recruit young men, we recruit them for life, but also knowing that we have a clear path to the National Football League. We want someone who has all of those principles and ingredients to lead our program."

Zach Arnett Fired as Mississippi State Head Football Coach