You surely are aware of Tennessee’s coaching turnover in football. But as prevalent as it has been, it can’t match Mississippi State’s.

 You will be reminded of that when the Bulldogs visit Neyland Stadium on Nov. 9.

Since Dan Mullen left the Bulldogs for Florida after the 2017 season, they have had four coaches. That doesn’t include Greg Knox, who twice has had to finish out recent seasons as an interim coach.

Perhaps, the Bulldogs are still trying to hire a Mullen-type coach. That’s what all their hires aside from Zach Arnett suggest.

Arnett, a successful defensive coordinator, was hired after the death of coach Mike Leach in December of 2022.

Like Mullen, Leach was an offensive-minded coach. And like Mullen, he was successful.

Its other two recent hires didn’t fare as well. Joe Moorhead, another coach renowned for offense, lasted only two years. Arnett lasted just one. He was fired after going 5-7 and winning only one SEC game last season. 

You know what that meant? Mississippi State has earned the reputation for the quickest firing trigger of any program in the SEC.

It’s up to Jeff Lebby to change that. Not surprisingly, his chances for success likely will be tied to his offense.

He got high marks for offense in his coordinator days at UCF and Oklahoma. But running those offenses isn’t comparable to running Mississippi State’s program, especially this season.

I can understand why Lebby couldn’t resist the temptation of an SEC head-coaching opportunity. However, his timing wasn’t great.

Mississippi State’s recruiting was disrupted by all the coaching changes. Sure, there is a greater opportunity for quick fixes now that transfers move so often and with such ease. But those changes can’t completely make up for a program’s instability.

That accounts for just one of Lebby’s disadvantages in his first head-coaching job.

The Bulldogs became accustomed to difficult SEC schedules from their time in the SEC West. But they didn’t get a break when the conference expanded to 16 teams and did away with the divisional setup.

Tennessee is just one of many Bulldogs opponents that was nationally ranked in preseason. They already have played Georgia, Texas, and Texas A&M. After Tennessee comes Missouri and Ole Miss.

Ole Miss’ successful surge under Lane Kiffin, Lebby’s former boss, also could work against him. He’s joining the in-state rivalry when the Rebels are at the top of their game.

But maybe, he can do what Mullen did: develop a potent offense and sign enough three-star recruits who turn into four-star players.

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Nonetheless, Tennessee should be pleased that someone other than Mullen will be coaching against it.

The Vols were 0-1 against him in his nine seasons at Mississippi State and 0-4 against him when he was at Florida from 2018 through 2021.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.