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Texas A&M Football: Division Rival Makes HC Hire

ByGraham Harmon|
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is pictured before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Oklahoma won 69-45.
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is pictured before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Oklahoma won 69-45.
Texas A&M football
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is pictured before a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Oklahoma won 69-45.

Division Rival for Texas A&M Football Inks New Head Man

Almost simultaneous to Texas A&M football finalizing their hire of Mike Elko, another SEC West school made a hire of their own. Jeff Lebby, formerly of Oklahoma, Ole Miss, and Baylor, is headed to take the head job down in Starkville.

As you can see from the above video, fans at State are clearly very happy with this hire. Lebby brings a uptempo, high-flying style that was clearly on display at Ole Miss and harkens back to his days at Baylor under Art Briles.

It is those days at Baylor under Art Briles that are the biggest cause for questions with this hire, however. Lebby was on staff during one of the biggest scandals in modern college football, and according to the Oklahoman, was reported to have had some of the incidents recounted directly to him by a victim. The player in question played two more seasons for the Bears after the report. Not only that, but Jeff Lebby is actually Briles’s son-in-law, which led to an issue when the disgraced coach took the field after an Oklahoma game this past season. Whether Lebby’s close ties to Briles continue to be an issue now that the buck stops with him as regards football down in Starkville remains to be seen.

On the field, Lebby’s offenses now present a similar issue to the Aggies as they have seen in the past with some of the hires out of the Mississippi schools. He won’t recruit lights-out or be able to draw on as many resources as schools like A&M or Alabama, but it will be a perennial challenge to prepare for his teams. Luckily, Texas A&M football is now headed up by one of the brightest defensive minds in the country.