Jeff Lebby's tenure with the Sooners will soon come to an end.
The OU offensive coordinator will leave the program and become the head coach at Mississippi State, the school announced Sunday. Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Lebby has signed a five-year deal to become the Bulldogs' new head coach.
Lebby was hired shortly after Brent Venables was announced as Oklahoma's new head coach in November 2021. Lebby spent two seasons with the Sooners, serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. This will mark Lebby's first head-coaching gig after stops at OU, Ole Miss, Baylor and UCF.
Under Lebby, the Sooners averaged 32.9 points per game in 2022 and 43.2 points per game in 2023. This season, the Sooners rank third in scoring offense, fourth in total offense (502 yards per game) and fourth in team passing efficiency (172.06).
But criticism of Lebby, who also played football at Oklahoma and served as a graduate assistant in 2006, mounted for much of 2023. It began early this season, when he was seen alongside disgraced former Baylor coach Art Briles, Lebby's father in law, on the field following a 28-11 win over SMU. Lebby served on Briles staff amid a huge sexual assault scandal that involved allegations against several Baylor players, which resulted in Briles' termination.
After the game, OU athletics director Joe Castiglione expressed disappointment in Briles' appearance on the field. Lebby read a statement in his press conference a few days later and assured it wouldn't happen again.
The offense and play calling were under the microscope after struggles that contributed to back-to-back losses against Kansas and Oklahoma State, which knocked the Sooners out of the race for the Big 12 Championship game.
Lebby will replace former MSU coach Zach Arnett, who was fired by the program earlier this month. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 5-7 record.
The search will now begin for Venables to replace Lebby, which could include several in-house candidates including OU offensive analysts Matt Wells and Seth Littrell, who both have experience as head coaches for Division I programs. But also importantly, the focus shifts to the Sooners' current roster and future prospects.
Lebby played a huge role in the Sooners landing Dillon Gabriel via the transfer portal prior to the 2022 season. Gabriel, a fifth-year senior, has spent the last two seasons as the Sooners' starting quarterback.
Gabriel has one more additional year of eligibility, but the signals have been cryptic regarding his potential return to the Sooners. Gabriel spoke at length about Lebby's potential as a head coach following the Sooners' 69-45 win over TCU on Friday.
"I’ve always believed in him," Gabriel said. "I know as coaches, the journey and wanting to be a head coach is something that I think he’s always wanted to be, as well as a bunch of coaches on our staff. But just the growth I’ve seen him make since my freshman year to now, same he’s seen with me. It’s crazy what two, three years can do. He's very special offensively, what he does, which he's grown in that way too, but just the man he is. I think he’s learned a bunch.
"I played today for a big reason for him and being able to do it again together so if that doesn't speak enough of being able to suit up and run through a brick wall for that guy, shoot, then I don't know what does."
Lebby also played a huge role in the Sooners landing former five-star prospect Jackson Arnold, along with 2025 prospect Kevin Sperry, 2024 prospect Brendan Zurbrugg and other key skill players.
The Sooners, 10-2, finished third in the Big 12 standings and narrowly missed the conference title game. They now wait to see their bowl game matchup.
