Mississippi State football hires Kevin Barbay as next offensive coordinator

Mississippi State football coach Zach Arnett finally has an answer to his biggest offseason question. Appalachian State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay has been hired into the same role with the Bulldogs, MSU announced Thursday.

Barbay has been an offensive coordinator the past two seasons at Appalachian State and Central Michigan. He led both programs to a top-35 offense in the nation.

Barbay takes the play-calling duties previously held by former head coach Mike Leach, who died Dec. 12 after complications from a heart condition. Shortly after Leach's death, Arnett was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach.

Arnett shuffled the offensive staff, with receivers coaches Drew Hollingshead (Western Kentucky) and Steve Spurrier Jr. (Tulsa) accepting offensive coordinator jobs elsewhere. He hired former MSU receiver and Utah receivers coach Chad Bumphis and former Auburn offensive line coach Will Friend.

However, all eyes have been on the offensive coordinator search. Rumors swirled last week about Georgia offensive analyst Mike Bobo taking the gig, which would have been a major shift from the Air Raid. However, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman reported those were false.

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Barbay got his start in coaching at Monsignor Kelly High School in Texas (2003-04). His first college opportunity came in 2005, when he served as a graduate assistant at Baylor for two seasons.

He bounced in the years that followed, including stints as an assistant coach as in personnel. His path also saw him return to the high school level before he was hired as Stephen F. Austin's offensive coordinator in 2018.

He spent the following two seasons (2019-20) as Central Michigan's assistant head coach and receivers coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator.

Central Michigan ranked 35th in the nation with 32.3 points per game with Barbay calling plays in 2021. The Chippewas rushed for nearly 180 yards per game which was complemented by an average of 261 passing yards. Both ranked in the top 60 nationally.

At App State, where Barbay helped score 61 points in a loss at North Carolina last season, the numbers were also impressive. App State threw for 251 yards per game along with 204 rushing yards − both ranking in the top 50. While MSU led the nation with nearly 50 passes attempted per game, App State was 88th with fewer than 30.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Kevin Barbay: Mississippi State football finds offensive coordinator