Josh Heupel 'not surprised' by Jeff Lebby's success in Year 2 at Mississippi State
Jeff Lebby wasn’t in a reflective mood Wednesday afternoon. When the Mississippi State head coach was asked about his relationship with Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, Lebby opted to keep the focus more on the here and now.
More specifically, on Mississippi State (4-0, 0-0 SEC) hosting No. 15 Tennessee (3-1, 0-1) on Saturday (4:15 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network) and Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville.
“I don’t know if this is the right time for that,” Lebby said during his weekly appearance on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “I have pretty well documented to you guys my respect for Heup, who he is as a leader, as a dad, as a husband.
“And just a ton of respect for who he is, what he does and our friendship.”
Josh Heupel, Jeff Lebby coached together at Oklahoma, UCF
Lebby, in his second season at Mississippi State, signed to play at Oklahoma in 2002 but suffered a career-ending injury, leading to a student-assistant role for four years. Heupel joined the Oklahoma staff as a graduate assistant in 2004.
Lebby coached high school football for one season, then went to Baylor for eight years, rising from offensive quality control to running backs coach to running backs coach. He was at Southeastern as offensive coordinator in 2017 before Heupel hired him as quarterbacks coach at UCF in 2018, then offensive coordinator in 2019.
Lebby joined Lane Kiffin’s staff at Ole Miss in 2020 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, then returned to Oklahoma in the same role for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, before being hired as Mississippi State’s head coach.
“I’ve known for a long time,” Heupel said Wednesday. “When I first got into coaching, it was the beginning of his college career and worked with me, after his injury, as a student assistant.
“He’s smart, he’s competitive, he’s got a great mind for the game. And all those traits are certainly things that I saw in him, and that’s a part of the reason that I brought him to UCF at the time. And I’m not surprised by the success that he’s had at any point in his coaching career.”
Jeff Lebby has already doubled 2024 win total
Lebby went 2-10 in his first season at Mississippi State, including a 33-14 loss to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium last November. His Bulldogs are 4-0 this season, including a win over then-No. 12 Arizona State two weeks ago.
“They’ve taken a big jump,” Heupel said. “Coach Lebby and his staff have done a really good job. Guys that were there a year ago, you can see the development physically, technically, and understanding of their scheme. They brought in some transfers that are making a difference for them as well.
“And collectively, as an entire football team, in year two, they have an understanding of how to win. And you put all that together and that’s why they’re playing the way that they are. It’s a huge test for us going down there.”