Syracuse Football: Zach Arnett provides 1st statement since leaving team

Former Syracuse football defensive coordinator Zach Arnett provided his 1st statement since leaving the team. Here are all the full details.

On Wednesday afternoon Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported that Zach Arnett would leave his post with the Syracuse football team to join Mississippi State in the same role.

That news was later confirmed by Syracuse University through a press release from Athletic Director John Wildhack:

"“We are disappointed that Zach Arnett has decided not to honor the commitment he made to Syracuse University. We will continue to work diligently to find the best defensive coach for our program.”"

Shortly after this press release was sent out, Mississippi State made the hiring official through a statement of their own on their website.

New Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach had this to say about the hire:

"“Zach is one of the brightest defensive coaches in all of college football,” Leach said. “Having been mentored by Rocky Long during his successful time at San Diego State, Zach understands what it takes to build and run an elite defense. We are excited to welcome Zach, Emily, Case, and Collins to Starkville.”"

Also in the report, we learned why Arnett decided to leave because he made his first statement since all this news broke:

"“I couldn’t pass up the chance to join an SEC program like Mississippi State. I am grateful to Coach Leach and [Director of Athletics] John Cohen for the opportunity to be a part of this first-class institution. Mississippi State has a history of great defenses. The staff Coach Leach has assembled is tremendous, and I can’t wait to get down there and get to work.”"

Zach made no mention of his commitment to Syracuse and falling through on it. Although in the press release the University mentioned briefly that Arnett, “arrives in Starkville after a short stint at Syracuse where he had been named defensive coordinator and linebackers coach earlier this month.”

Syracuse will now re-start their search for a new defensive coordinator immediately to fill the void left by Arnett. One of the top names that is getting a lot of traction is former San Diego State head coach Rocky Long.

A few weeks ago he met with Dino Babers in Syracuse to discuss the vacant defensive coordinator position. At this point, he remains unemployed but remains interested in continuing a coaching career as a defensive coordinator.