Mississippi
Mississippi State fires Coleman Hutzler, could rehire Zach Arnett
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football fired defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler, a source told The Clarion Ledger on Dec. 6.
The source requested anonymity because an announcement has not been made.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs are expected to target former coach and defensive coordinator Zach Arnett as his replacement, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Dec. 6.
Hutzler was in his second season at Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs finished 5-7 and the season ended on Nov. 28 in a 38-19 loss to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.
The early signing period covering three days ended Dec. 5.
Hutzler was hired by MSU coach Jeff Lebby before the 2024 season, but his defense has been statistically at or near the bottom in the SEC in both seasons. The 2024 defense was last in the SEC with 34.1 points allowed per game, nearly 10 points worse than the next worst team. MSU’s 2025 defense was slightly better but still at the bottom of the SEC.
Arnett was an analyst at Florida State in 2025.
Hutzler’s contract was set to expire after the 2026 season.
Mississippi State’s defense under Coleman Hutzler
The Bulldogs struggled badly defending the run in 2024. They allowed 216.9 rushing yards per game, the fifth most in the country. The pass rush wasn’t good either with just 10 total sacks on the season. Oregon State was the only team with fewer sacks than Mississippi State.
MSU prioritized upgrading its defensive front in 2025, and the early returns were positive. Will Whitson, a Coastal Carolina transfer, was a disruptive pass rusher until he suffered a season-ending injury in the first half of the Week 2 game against Arizona State. Despite the injury, Whitson was still tied for second on the team by the end of the regular season with two sacks.
The MSU defense particularly struggled in the last month of the season with the run defense as the root. The last five opponents all scored at least 35 points.
The Bulldogs were 15th in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing 29.2 points per game, and last in rushing defense with 189.5 rushing yards per game.
Coleman Hutzler buyout, contract details
Hutzler signed a three-year contract worth $1 million annually as the highest-paid assistant coach on MSU’s staff. It was set to expire in January 2027.
Mississippi State must pay him his remaining salary as if it were to naturally expire. Payments will be made in equal monthly installments. His contract does have a duty to mitigate clause.
What to know about Zach Arnett
Arnett was the defensive coordinator at MSU from 2020-22 under coach Mike Leach. Then when Leach died in December 2022, Arnett was promoted as the head coach, only to be fired 10 games into the 2023 season.
The Bulldogs had the No. 6 scoring defense in the SEC in 2020, No. 9 in 2021 and No. 7 in 2022.
Arnett was an analyst at Ole Miss in 2024 after he was fired by MSU.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
No. 15 Arkansas uses balanced scoring to beat Mississippi 94-87 in SEC matchup
OXFORD, Miss. — Darius Acuff, Jr. had 26 points and nine assists, and No. 15 Arkansas got double-figure scoring from five players in a 94-87 win over Mississippi on Wednesday night.
Arkansas (12-3, 2-0 SEC) used a decisive 14-6 run midway through the second half to build an insurmountable 76-61 lead. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to Ole Miss (8-7, 0-2).
The Rebels pulled within 91-87 in the final minute, but Acuff converted a short jumper and Trevon Brazile added a free throw to help seal the win. Arkansas finished 22 of 30 (73%) from the free throw line, including 11 of 12 by Acuff.
Brazile scored 18 points, Billy Richmond III and Meleek Thomas added 13 points apiece, and Karter Knox scored 10 in the balanced Arkansas performance.
Ole Miss was led by Ilias Kamardine and Malik Dia with 16 points apiece. AJ Storr scored 12 points, Eduardo Klafke had 11 in the second half and Patton Pinkins added 10.
Arkansas used a 10-2 surge in the final two minutes of the first half for a 42-32 lead at the break. Brazile and Thomas had 10 points apiece in the first half, as the Razorbacks never trailed after the opening five minutes.
The Arkansas win is a sharp contrast to last season when John Calipari’s club started 0-5 in SEC play. The Razorbacks rallied to finish 7-3 with a berth in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.
Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) steps back to take a shot at the basket while guarded by Mississippi guard Travis Perry (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP/Rogelio V. Solis
Ole Miss, after a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament, has struggled to replace four starters and three other significant contributors from last season’s nine-player rotation.
Up next
Arkansas: Completes a two-game trip at Auburn on Saturday.
Ole Miss: Hosts Missouri on Saturday.
Mississippi
Vote: Who is the Mississippi High School Football Quarterback of the Year?
Today, we take a look at some of the best signal callers in the state of Mississippi from the 2025 season.
This season was one to remember in the state of Mississippi, and part of that is due to the terrific play from the quarterback position. Our nominees include a mixture of gunslingers and dual-threat quarterbacks who put on a show every single week, and because of that each nominee is worthy of a vote.
However, we will leave that up to you, the fan, to decide who is the High School on SI Mississippi high school quarterback of the year for 2025.
Voting will close on January 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Here are the nominations:
Chancelor comes in as our first nominee as he led the Magnolia State in passing yards this season. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,419 yards and 28 touchdowns. Chancelor also added two more scores on the ground.
This season, Mayes completed nearly 67 percent of his passes for 2,934 yards and 40 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He also showed that he was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He rushed for 1,195 yards and 17 touchdowns on 122 carries.
Craft led the Oilers to an appearance to the Class 2A state championship after a terrific season as the signal-caller. He completed nearly 72 percent of his passes for 2,912 yards and 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Like Mayes, Craft was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He rushed for 1,027 yards and 17 touchdowns on 117 carries.
Stockett completed nearly 66 percent of his passes this season for 2,905 yards and 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also rushed for one touchdown.
Wilcox was another outstanding quarterback from the MAIS this season. He completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,868 yards and 34 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also rushed for 272 yards and eight touchdowns on 72 carries
Stringer completed just shy of 61 percent of his passes this season for 2,783 yards and 37 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He added 144 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.
As the leader on the offense, and one of the leaders on the entire team, Nettles was outstanding all season long as he helped led the Admirals to the Class 7A state championship. He finished 2025 with a 66 percent completion percentage and 2,750 yards with 23 touchdowns. He added two more scores on the ground.
This season, Shettles completed nearly 62 percent of his passes for 2,730 yards and 28 touchdowns with only one interception. He also rushed for 325 yards and nine touchdowns on 67 carries.
Hall took the momentum he had from his sophomore season and carried it over to this season. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,709 yards and 34 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He added 189 more yards on the ground with one touchdown.
Trivillion helped led the Pirates to 11 wins this season which is a school record thanks in part to his play from the quarterback position. He completed nearly 53 percent of his passes for 2,570 yards and 34 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Trivillion also rushed for 1,120 yards and 15 touchdowns on 105 carries this season.
This season, Ducksworth completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,581 yards with 27 touchdowns to only five interceptions.
Davis was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He completed nearly 64 percent of his passes for 2,547 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 650 yards and seven touchdowns on 96 carries.
Edwards showed that he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the state this season with a 73 percent completion percentage. On top of completing nearly three-fourths of his passes, he passed for 2,534 yards with 20 touchdowns and just one interceptions. He also added 170 yards on the ground with three touchdowns.
Johnson completed over 50 percent of his passes for 2,510 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 488 yards and eight touchdowns on 104 carries.
Wade is our final quarterback of the year nominee for the 2025 season in the state of Mississippi. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,402 yards and 22 touchdowns with three interceptions. Wade also rushed for 407 yards and 12 touchdowns on 107 carries.
Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.
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