Head Football Coach Joe Moorhead Signs Four-Year Contract Extension

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State University Director of Athletics John Cohen announced Tuesday that they have reached an agreement on a new four-year contract extension with head football coach Joe Moorhead through the 2022 season that will pay an average base salary of $3.2 million.

Moorhead, who is in his second year as head coach of the Mississippi State football program, crafted an 8-5 record with the Bulldogs in his first season, becoming just the second MSU head coach to win eight or more games in his debut season and the first since College Football Hall of Famer Allyn McKeen in 1939. He was also just the second coach in Bulldog history to reach a bowl game in his first season, joining Jackie Sherrill, who accomplished the feat in 1991.

Moorhead, a 2016 and 2017 National Offensive Coordinator of the Year winner, is known for having explosive offenses from his time as offensive coordinator at Penn State. In his first year at the helm, the Bulldogs were one of the best rushing offenses in the Southeastern Conference, rushing for 2,907 yards, which was ranked third in the conference. MSU was also the nation’s No. 1 defense. Moorhead’s squad closed out the 2018 season by winning four out of their last five regular season games, including a 35-3 Egg Bowl victory over rival Ole Miss on Thanksgiving night.

The Bulldogs earned a spot in the Outback Bowl, but ultimately dropped a 27-22 decision to the Iowa Hawkeyes in Tampa, Florida.

Heading into 2019, Moorhead has landed Penn State graduate transfer quarterback Tommy Stevens, who is familiar with Moorhead’s offense from his time as a member of the Nittany Lions.