Mississippi State named Drew Hollingshead its new inside receivers coach Monday, promoting the longtime offensive assistant under Mike Leach to a full staff role.
It wasn’t the only move the Bulldogs made Monday. Far from it.
Along with Hollingshead’s hiring, MSU took the opportunity to announce a shakeup among its coaching staff, resulting in new roles for four assistant coaches and new duties for two more.
Matt Brock will no longer serve as the Bulldogs’ special teams coordinator, with former running backs coach Eric Mele stepping into that role instead. Safeties coach Jason Washington will take over for Mele, and defensive coordinator Zach Arnett will coach safeties.
Arnett previously handled inside linebackers while Brock coached outside linebackers, but Brock will be in charge of all linebackers in 2022.
“We’re excited to have our 2022 coaching staff roles finalized here in Starkville,” Leach said in a news release from Mississippi State. “I’m thrilled for our program’s direction with this staff of hard-working football coaches and outstanding recruiters who share a unified vision for achieving success. Our players are already hard at work in the weight room this winter preparing for next season, and we can’t wait to get back on the field in a couple of months for spring practices.”
The changes put some of Leach’s assistants in familiar roles while giving others completely novel assignments.
Brock coached linebackers along with his special teams duties at Bowling Green (2016-17) and Washington State (2018-19). He was Texas Tech’s inside linebackers coach in 2014 after an early-season promotion to the role.
Mele served as Washington State’s special teams coordinator from 2015 to 2017, holding the position under Leach until Brock replaced him.
But Washington has never coached running backs, spending his career on the defensive side of the ball. He coached cornerbacks at Texas State, Rice, Houston and Texas before coaching safeties in Starkville.
Although he is in charge of the defense as a whole, Arnett played linebacker in college and has spent most of his time coaching that position group. The former San Diego State coordinator has not coached safeties at the collegiate level.
With the performance of the Bulldogs’ special teams unit in 2021, though, it’s understandable that Leach called for a change. MSU ranked toward the bottom of FBS football in several categories, including field goal kicking, punting and punt returns.
Leach will hope Mele, who found success in the special teams coordinator role in Pullman, can do the same in Brock’s place. In 2017, Mele oversaw one of the country’s best punt coverage teams, and the Cougars didn’t allow a special teams touchdown for the first season since 2005.
Washington State also had kickoff return and punt return touchdowns in 2006, the first time both things happened since 1968.
Mele was one of the many coaches Leach imported from Washington State, with Dave Nichol (2016-19) another. The inside receivers coach left Dec. 3 for the same position on the Trojans’ staff under Lincoln Riley, with whom he had worked at Texas Tech.
Hollingshead, who served as an offensive assistant under Leach for the past six seasons, got his shot Monday to replace Nichol. Previously listed as “offensive quality control” for the Bulldogs, he helped coach quarterbacks Luke Falk, Gardner Minshew II and Anthony Gordon at Washington State as well as Will Rogers in Starkville.
“Drew is one of the rising offensive minds in college football and a tremendous coach, teacher and tactician of the game,” Leach said. “He is incredibly detail oriented, brings a great deal of energy and passion to our program, and has played a pivotal role in our offensive success over the years. He will continue to make a positive impact on our team, and we are fortunate to have him at Mississippi State.”
In addition to Monday’s other moves, the Bulldogs also gave two returning assistants new titles. Outside receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. picks up the duties of pass game coordinator, while offensive line coach Mason Miller is Mississippi State’s new run game coordinator.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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