Greg Knox on how he prepared Mississippi State players after coaching change

Greg Knox knew it wouldn’t be easy to fill the shoes of Mike Leach and Zach Arnett before him at Mississippi State.

It’s been more so a tumultuous time for the Bulldogs after losing Leach due to his untimely passing and Arnett’s firing late in the 2023 season. But Knox wanted to focus on the mental side of things to keep his team together.

Ahead of Thursday night’s Egg Bowl, Knox opened up on how he approached the situation.

“What you asked is exactly what we as a coaching staff, what I knew, you know coming into this game with this change, you know, they’ve lost two head coaches,” Knox said. “You know within a year and so, that’s difficult when you think of 18, 19, 20-year-old kids, the emotional side of that, you know, and so that’s where I started the approach is working on the mental mindset of what you’re facing. 

“And we watched a video by Inky Johnson, it’s called ‘Go Heavy.’ If you get a chance there’s only three minutes, watch that video, and then you will understand the approach that I have with these guys.”

With Will Rogers back under center for Mississippi State, anything is possible for the Bulldogs. Perhaps they’ll go heavy and get right back up amid the adversity.

Greg Knox reveals message to Mississippi State recruits after coaching change

Know revealed his message to recruits amid the tumultuous times in Starkville.

“Well, we’re going to be calling every recruit that’s on our board that’s committed to us,” Knox said. “Just reaffirming their commitment to just hold tight, and let the process play out.”

While Mississippi State started their season 2-0, with a victory over the Arizona Wildcats, SEC play hasn’t been kind to Arnett’s former team.

Their lone conference win came in a 7-3 slugfest against the underwhelming Arkansas Razorbacks, and Mississippi State hasn’t been competitive in other games. Over the last two weeks, Mississippi State has been outscored 75-13, most recently suffering a 51-10 beatdown at the hands of Texas A&M.

Mississippi State currently boasts the No. 29 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, according to On3 Industry Rankings. The group consists of two four-star prospects and 14 three-star recruits. The players have an average NIL rating of $26,000.

Mississippi State hosts Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving night at 7:30 p.m. ET.