Jeff Lebby: Experience at Ole Miss already paying dividends for Mississippi State recruiting

Jeff Lebby isn’t a stranger to the Hospitality State. The new Mississippi State head coach had a two-year stint as Ole Miss’ offensive coordinator from 2020-21. During an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” Lebby claimed his familiarity is already paying off on the recruiting trail.

“It helps in a huge way just being able to get on the phone with some of the high school coaches in the area already,” Lebby said. “There was already relationships from from my times there in Oxford — I think it’s huge.

“I feel like our name right now is really strong inside the state. I think we’ve positioned ourselves in a great way to be able to go close on some of these guys as we get closer to signing day with official visits here the next three weekends. I feel great that there’s real familiarity for myself, obviously, and for other people with me here in the state.”

Former head coach Zach Arnett, who Mississippi State fired on Nov. 13, left Lebby with a solid recruiting class. Mississippi State currently boasts the No. 27 class in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The group includes two four-star prospects and 14 three-star recruits.

With Lebby’s resumé, the Bulldogs are bound to leash in a few more highly-touted talents. With Lebby lead the way, Oklahoma finished the 2023 regular season as the No. 4 offense in the nation, averaging 502.4 yards per game.

Jeff Lebby’s plan to build the program

Lebby was pivotal in the Sooners’ 34-30 upset win over Texas in the Red River Showdown earlier this season. In the victory, the Sooners amassed 486 total yards of offense while committing zero turnovers. Lebby plans on spending every minute this offseason snagging recruits to add to his laundry list of accomplishments.

“From a time standpoint, you get in the building early, you leave incredibly late and you find ways to get around your guys,” Lebby said. “You find ways to be on the phone with recruits. You’re touching base with donors nonstop to try to continue to paint the picture of what we’re going to be.

“The portal part of it and NIL is so incredibly real with college football right now. Being able to go attack both areas, and being able to make sure that we’re mastering both areas to the best of our ability to set up our roster to have success next fall.”