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Oklahoma football: Sooners may be needing a new offensive coordinator

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby with the quarterbacks before the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023.
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby with the quarterbacks before the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Southern Methodist University Mustangs at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. /
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Oklahoma football offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby reportedly is a leading candidate for the vacant head coaching job at Mississippi State, according to a report by Ross Dellinger of Yahoo Sports and others.

Lebby, who is an OU alum and former player, has been the Sooners’ OC for the last two years. He was hired away from Ole Miss, where he held the same position for two seasons (2020 and 2021) and was at UCF for two seasons before that. Lebby was one of Brent Venables’ first staff hires after he became the Sooners’ head coach.

Lebby was the offensive coordinator at UCF in Dillon Gabriel’s freshman season there. He was largely responsible for getting Lebby to come to Oklahoma.

The Mississippi State job has been open for several weeks after Zach Arnett was fired after 10 games this season. He was in the job for less than a year after replacing legendary head coach Mike Leach, who died a year ago after suffering a fatal heart attack.

Under Lebby, Oklahoma produced over 500 yards of offense this season, fourth best in college football this season and the sixth-best passing offense. Oklahoma had one of its best offensive games of the 2023 season on Friday with 602 yards in a 69-45 win over TCU.

Asked about the potential for Lebby to get his first head coaching job, Venables told reporters:

"“I want all my guys to have opportunity,” he said after the game on Friday. “I’ll support them in any way I can. My charge to all the staff — all the staff — is everything has its time.”"

Were Lebby to officially earn the Mississippi State job, a leading candidate to replace him is another former Sooner, Seth Littrell, who has a lengthy experience as an offensive coordinator (at Arizona and North Carolina) and was head coach at North Texas from 2016 to 2022.

Littrell was a fullback at Oklahoma from 1997 to 2000, which included the first two seasons for Bob Stoops and Venables as co-defensive coordinator.

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