7 Zach Arnett replacements Mississippi State should already be talking to
By Drew Koch
6. Joe Judge, New England Patriots assistant
Let's have a bit of fun, shall we? This selection is a bit off the wall, but not as much as it would seem. Joe Judge is currently roaming the sidelines with Bill Belichick in the NFL, and has head coaching experience in the league himself. Judge was the New York Giants head coach from 2020-2021.
But, Judge originally got his feet wet coaching for his alma mater -- Mississippi State. Judge was a graduate assistant for the Bulldogs during Sylvester Croom's tenure as the head man in Starkville.
Judge has experience in the SEC as an assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama (2009-2011) and under Belichick (2015-2019, 2022-present). This is an outside-the-box hire, but don't be shocked if Judge's name comes up in the conversation.
5. Dan Mullen, former Mississippi State head coach
There's that old saying that goes, "The grass isn't always greener on the other side." Dan Mullen found that out the hard way. After a very successful tenure as the Mississippi State head coach from 2009-2017, Mullen was lured away by the University of Florida.
Having coached in Gainesville under Urban Meyer, Mullen saw an opportunity to return to the Gators and lead Florida back to the promised land. But, after posting a 5-6 record in 2021, Mullen was relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Gators.
Dan Mullen is currently an analyst for ESPN and, if he's got the itch, Mississippi State may welcome him back with open arms. There's another famous saying: "You don't know what you've got until it's gone." Bulldog fans have found that out the hard way, as the team had just two losing seasons with Mullen at the helm.