Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby Sends Personal Note to Fans After Crucial Injury Update on Multiple Starters

Remember how SEC insider Cousin Shane had already set out an ultimatum for Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach, Jeff Lebby? “Unless you’re looking at Week One—Southern Miss—you’re having a competitive edge against…” said the analyst. And here we are. Lebby’s Bulldogs did what it needed to do to start 1-0 for the ninth consecutive season, beating Southern Miss 34-17. But savoring an early win does not mean that the fans will take it for granted. Rather, Lebby holds the pen and writes down a personal note to catalyze the Mississippi State fans’ spirits. It comes with a “bigger promise” for their upcoming September 7 fight against Arizona State.

Definitely, Lebby is not willing to pop the champagne early. After all, he has got big things to prove. Thanks to the former Mississippi State head coach’s blunt remark. While Lebby must have been preparing a blueprint for their upcoming run, someone rained on his parade. The injury gods blessed three starters who will be missing out in their fight against Kenny Dillingham’s squad.  

On September 1, On3 Sports’ Mississippi State beat writer Robbie Faulk shared snippets of Lebby’s letter on X. The caption read, “Jeff Lebby sent an email to Mississippi State fans on Monday night for the home opener.” The headline reads, “I Want You To Bring The Madness Saturday” and the letter starts with a plea, “Bulldog Family, Were 1-0. But this week is bigger.” It continues, “Saturday night, under the new lights at Davis Wade Stadium, a Top-10 Arizona State team — a really good football team — is coming to town. And we need you. All of you.”

Dillingham’s Sun Devils are a 7-point favorite over Lebby’s squad. Last season, Arizona State defeated Mississippi State in Tempe, 30-23. However, this time Lebby’s squad will have the home ground advantage. But again, the Bulldogs are carrying the burden of going 2-10 last season. In that case, who better than the fans to lift Lebby’s team’s spirits?

Thus, the head coach came with a plea, “This is our moment to show what Mississippi State is all about. You’ve done it before. Let’s see you do it again. Let’s show the nation how YOU can make this place an electric factory and one of the most dynamic atmospheres in college football. I want it loud. I want it chaotic. I want 60 minutes of nonstop energy that makes it miserable for anyone who’s not a DAWG from the very first snap until the clock hits zero.”

The Sun Devils travel to Starkville and get a taste of the SEC Saturday night. ASU carries a double-digit number as the road favorite. But at the same time, they do not have their lucky charm, Cam Skattebo, anymore, who rushed for 262 yards and three touchdowns last season against MSU. While this indeed is a big advantage for the Bulldogs, an axe is looming over Lebby’s head.

Big $14.25 million turmoil awaits Jeff Lebby

The Bulldogs sealed their first win of the season, 34-17 win at Southern Miss. But it also came with heartbreak. Offensive lineman Luke Work and cornerback Jett Jefferson, both potential starters, missed their season openers due to injury. During the game, their right tackle starter, Blake Steen, suffered an unspecified injury just before halftime and never returned to the game. Now, what does Lebby think about the recovery status?

“I feel good about Luke, not great,” Lebby said on September 1. “To me, it’s all about tomorrow’s practice and how are these guys functioning as we go into a really physical, long, hard practice on Tuesday. That’s when we can really create an understanding of if these guys are going to be ready. Same for Blake. Jett, I’m not ready to say he’ll even be ready to go tomorrow morning for us to really evaluate him. His evaluation will happen a little later in the week.”

As per College Football Network, Lebby has a $4.25 million contract for four years, the longest term length allowed in the State of Mississippi for state employees. It comes with a maximum bonus worth $1,900,000. But the figure that’s concerning in Lebby’s case is $14.25 million, which is his buyout. CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello came up with a list that cooked up some more fear for the head coach. 

“We’ve set ourselves up for a massive exodus, mass firings in the SEC this year,” he said. “I could see as many as five SEC coaches getting the boot by the end of this season.” Even though Marcello thinks that Lebby’s seat is not hot enough to be on the list, Jim Dunaway shows no mercy for the Mississippi State head coach. “Here’s why I put Jeff Lebby on this list. And it’s a very psychological mental thing,” he said. “Dan Mullen is back in coaching again.” So, the fear of not being good enough as his predecessor, the now UNLV head coach, Dan Mullen, might keep on chasing Lebby.

Turns out that Dunaway was right. Mullen is the guy who, during his Bulldogs stint between 2009-17, gifted the program a 69-46 record, and led the team to eight straight bowl seasons, and even went No. 1 in 2014. Even though he now rules in the UNLV squad and has no business with Lebby, he still stirred the pot.

Brandon Marcello, who shared about how he enjoyed covering Mississippi State when Dan Mullen was there, because of the winning culture. “Winning, winning is good. Well, you know, and back those days too, back then the story at Mississippi State was winning. So, it kind of created the story,” came the former Bulldogs head coach’s reply. The past tense used in his take was a direct shade at Jeff Lebby, under whom the Bulldogs wrapped the 2024 season with a disastrous 2-10 overall record and a 0-8 mark in the SEC. So, Lebby’s roadmap to a historic comeback starts with fans igniting the stadium.