Did Nick Saban try to poach Jeff Lebby? Mississippi State HC shares truth about the situation
Coaches moving and getting poached is a timed tradition in college football and Mississippi State Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby reportedly was almost one of them a year ago.
New Bulldogs coach Lebby confirmed the report that then-Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban tried to hire him as the program's offensive coordinator in 2023.
"Coach Saban, just an honor to have conversations with him as we went through some things. Could not be more thankful for opportunity and at the time it was something where I felt I needed to be exactly where my feet were. He did pretty good," he said via Clarion Ledger.
Nick Saban also confirmed the same.
“I think Jeff Lebby is one of the best offensive coaches in college football,” Saban said during the Media Days.
“We tried to get him to leave Oklahoma to come to Alabama. I actually watched the spring game and their offensive team looked really good. Blake Shapen, I think that’s how you say his name, is the quarterback and he was very effective. They’ve got some really good transfer receivers in there. They looked like an SEC offensive team.
What to expect from Jeff Lebby and the Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2024?
This Mississippi State Bulldogs team looks different than it did a year ago, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Seven offensive starters will be new to the squad.
Jeff Lebby has done well coaching some solid offenses before getting his first head coaching opportunity. He was the offensive coordinator at UCF (2019), Ole Miss (2020-21) and Oklahoma (2022–23).
There is a reason why Nick Saban wanted to poach him onto the Crimson Tide coaching staff. Lebby has shown the capability of demonstrating a strong offense but now that he is the head coach, this could be a bit of a learning curve.
This is unlikely to be a one-year rebuild, but rather will take several years before yielding meaningful results. Winning in the Southeastern Conference is challenging, and Jeff Lebby may have a learning curve against some of these long-term coaching staff.
Expect to see the Bulldogs compete for a bowl game in Jeff Lebby's first year.