Everything head coach Jeff Lebby said in Wednesday's press conference

Mississippi State initially thought the season was done after the Egg Bowl. But the Bulldogs got the surprising news on Sunday that their season would continue against Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on January 2nd.

Mississippi State returned to the practice fields earlier this week and on Wednesday, head coach Jeff Lebby met with the media to discuss bowl practice among other topics:

Q: Take us through the process of finding out this program got in a bowl game.
Lebby: We definitely didn’t think we’d be playing in a bowl game on Sunday morning. Then we get a phone call, I guess mid-morning, to tell us the possibility of it, and making sure we were in great alignment on what we wanted to be able to go do. For us, no brainer. For our program to have these practices, to be able to lift the way we’ll be able to lift the next month, and keeping these guys around us to take advantage of this great opportunity that we’re going to have on January 2. Our guys in the building are incredibly excited about it. Surprised that we get to go do this, but to take advantage of it is. I think it is huge for our program and development.

Q: Besides reaching the goal of going to a bowl game, what’s the biggest benefit of it?
Lebby: Getting to coach these guys. Being on the grass just like we were this morning, to be able to be in meetings. Unbelievable opportunity for (KaMario Taylor). To be able to get all these reps, to be able to go play in another game before we go kick it off next year. There’s a ton of positives. I think more than anything, the time that we spend together instead of being gone from finals on Wednesday or Thursday and us not getting them back on campus until January 14. What an unbelievable opportunity for us to be able to continue to grow this thing the way want. Our guys are excited just like I am.

Q: With all the changes on the defensive staff, who will call the bowl game?
Lebby: The thing I do love is you got Matt Barnes has called a bunch of defense and been a coordinator. You got Mac (Mike MacIntyre), who has called a bunch of defense and been a coordinator. Paul Rhoads, same thing. We’ve done a great job of putting the plan together. As we get closer to game day we’ll talk a little more about gameday responsibilities.

Q: With roster retention, what is the benefit of having the guys around for the bowl game?
Lebby: I think it’s huge. I think that’s another huge advantage. You get away from these guys and they have all this time to idle mind and it’s not good. For our guys to be able to be focused on what’s next, have great intent in the building, and be able to be together. think it’s a huge advantage.

Q: And what about the guys thinking of entering the transfer portal?
Lebby: We’ve already had a bunch of conversations with guys. As guys have decided to move on, which it’s the right thing. I think it gives us some clarity on what we’re going to do from a portal standpoint when that hits January 2.

Q: With the new defensive coaches coming in, what’s their role going to be for the bowl game?
Lebby: For Zach (Arnett), it’s being able to go out and watch these guys practice every day. The evaluation of our current roster is a huge advantage for us. Him having the ability to be in the building and knowing exactly what holes we have from a roster standpoint instead of just talking about it and having to watch the game tape. Zach gets to be on the grass with us today. He was right in the middle of the scout team, and being able to get those guys ready to roll. So not incredibly involved from a game plan standpoint, because again, just didn’t feel that was fair to the kids to be able to throw all those changes on them. For him, just being able to evaluate our roster right now and create relationships. There’s so much familiarity and that part has been really natural and really good.

Q: What’s it say about Arnett to come back to this program?
Lebby: It says a lot about his time here and how much he loved Mississippi State. I think that shows up right now. In our initial conversation there was excitement about it. It’s a little outside the box, but as I went through the process, it was about getting a guy who understood Mississippi State and had the knowledge of how we do what we do, who we are as a university. He had incredible experience coaching defense in this conference but not just coaching it, but having an incredible amount of success coaching it. For me, a ton of excitement because I know what he’s going to be able to bring. The experience that he had as the defensive coordinator here is going to show up in a huge way. That’s what I wanted as we got into that process.

Q: Did you contact Arnett or go through third parties?
Lebby: No, I contacted him and had our initial conversation. There was excitement. I coached against Zach. I had to prepare for it, and it was not fun. Really tough throughout the week, and that’s what I want for the other side of the ball. I thought what he did as much as anything is he played to his personnel and he put guys in position for success. Guys played incredibly free and fast and attacking. That is something that showed up and that’s what we wanted.

Q: So will Arnett coach at all in the bowl game?
Lebby: Won’t coach a position and won’t be involved in the game plan part of it. But he’s going to be on the grass with us every day while we are here.

Q: When they graduate is a big factor but will any 2026 signees be able to go through bowl practices?
Lebby: With the way the rules have changed, we have very limited spots to be able to bring a couple of guys in. We wish we could bring in all these mid-years. But we’re in the process of making some decisions on that.

Q: What is the bowl schedule here on campus?
Lebby: We’ll meet and lift tomorrow morning on Friday. They’ll be off for graduation on Saturday morning. We’ll have our second practice and then we’ll go one on, one off, all the way through until we leave on the 23rd. We’ll give them three days off to be able to get home and spend time for Christmas, and then get back here and have a normal game week.

Q: Can you speak on the other additions to the staff like Matt Brock and others?
Lebby: Matt, obviously, his time here, I think that was another conversation where there was great excitement for him to come back, which is exciting for me. A guy that’s coordinated, had good success, had a bunch of other opportunities and he chose to come back and be our co-DC and linebacker coach, which is a huge get for us. Kevie Thompson is another guy we’ve added to the staff. A guy that’s from our state, has incredible recruiting ties, has been known as a great recruiter, went to Oklahoma State from East Mississippi last year and comes back home. Another guy that is incredibly excited about being home, being back in this state. He will bring great value.

Then Bush (Hamdan), a guy that has coordinated so many different spots. He’s coached receivers, has coached QBs, had great success in the NFL. His experience in coordinating and coaching multiple positions at great places, brings a ton of value. I think that’s a huge get for us. Bush is excited to be here. He had a ton of options, as well, and chose to be with us. So that’s exciting.

Q: How will you structure your bowl practices with the younger guys and veterans?
Lebby: Because so many guys not being here from a portal standpoint, and just as you get thin toward the end of the season, guys are going to get a ton of reps. With the way we are going to set up practice, that will naturally happen. We want to get a great look at some of these young guys. There is so much to be done with the individual pieces of practice and getting guys on the grass to go coach them. That’s how it’s set up.

Q: How is KaMario Taylor doing after the Egg Bowl?
Lebby: Kamario is doing good. He’s done a good job taking care of himself. He’s not back to 100 percent but he will be shortly and he feels good.

Q: What did the players say when they found out there was a bowl game to play?
Lebby: At first, it was where are all these guys at? A bunch of these guys had finals they already taken, a bunch of guys were off-campus. So we didn’t get to team meet initially. We ended up having to push that all the way to Monday at 4 and we still had plenty of guys traveling back. That was the first piece of it, getting all the guys back here. But great excitement and understanding what a great opportunity this is for our program.

Q: How do you anticipate splitting the quarterback reps in bowl practices?
Lebby: Kamario will go roll and then Luke (Kromenhoek) will be incredibly involved and be the 2 as we get into it.

Q: Is Blake Shapen no longer with the team?
Lebby: Blake is at home and he’s training and getting ready for an all-star game, and getting ready for pro day and things like that.

Q: Have you had conversations with guys that have the chance to turn pro early?
Lebby: There’s a couple of guys, obviously, that we’ve addressed that with. They’re going to have opportunities to get drafted and have opportunities to come back and continue to create value for themselves. Those conversations are happening right now.

Q: Is there a chance the transfers play in the bowl game?
Lebby: It’s specific to who it is. As we got back in the building today and on the grass this morning, there was nobody on the grass this morning that had decided to go into the portal or planning on doing it. So I think some of those things will come up. But it will be case by case and that’s college football right now.

Q: Are there any players that need postseason surgery?
Lebby: We’ve got a few. We’ve got a few that will delay and a few that will go ahead and get it done. But we’ll handle that stuff inside.

Q: When do you anticipate making more coaching hires?
Lebby: We have a couple of things coming down the pipe here in the next seven to 10 days. Excited about a couple of other additions that we’re working on right now to finish this thing out and to continue to upgrade every way we can.

Q: With guys opting out and transferring, is there opportunity for some of the young guys to step up?
Lebby: I think there will be opportunities for those guys. As we get back on the field, we’re going to see how some of these guys handle the install that maybe were on the scout team 90 percent of the year. That will make some decisions for us we get closer to game day.

Q: Do you like mayonnaise?
Lebby: I do not. But I’ve never been more excited about having the opportunity to have it dumped on me.

Q: Have you had a chance to look at Wake Forest yet?
Lebby: Yeah, we have. We’ve dug in. With the team, we started that process this morning. An 8-4 football team that’s played well. Defensively, they’ve created a ton of negatives. Been really good against the throw game. Offensively, a QB that runs incredibly tough. They move the pocket. The back is a really good player. They play good team football. I think they’ve really done a nice job of maximizing their personnel.