Mississippi State Football: 3 reasons Mike Leach will turn program around

3. The journey

It’s been well-documented the different places Mike Leach has coached in over 30 years in the college game. It’s what they all have in common in location and size. Leach is heading to Starkville, MIss., and Mississippi State University. In other words, he’s going to a small school in a small rural town. It’s the type of place he’s cut his teeth in coaching.

There isn’t a better coach in “out of the way” places than Mike Leach.

Despite the size of Texas Tech — everything is bigger in Texas — Lubbock might not be small, but it’s not in a metroplex like Dallas, Houston or even San Antonio. It’s very much out of the way in a more rural area of Northwest Texas. From Lexington, to Valdosta, to Pullman Leach does well in rural places.

Leach hasn’t made much fuss about losing the Apple Cup seven straight seasons. He brushed it off behind the “they just recruit better players than we do.” That won’t fly in Starkville, but Leach knows better. He’ll get the lay of the land and in Starkville they will endure six, seven and eight-win seasons as long as you do one thing: beat Ole Miss.

There’s no way you last 10 years at one place (Texas Tech) and eight years in another (Washington State) without acclimating yourself to the culture of that place.