There was never any doubt that Zach Arnett would one day become a head coach, but it was hard to celebrate his hiring at Mississippi State due to the circumstances surrounding it. Following the sudden passing of legendary coach Mike Leach, the Bulldogs hired from within, promoting Arnett from defensive coordinator.

Now a head coach in the SEC, we’ll take a look at Arnett’s salary, contract, net worth and more.

Zach Arnett’s Salary and Contract in 2023

Following the death of Leach, Mississippi State understandably decided to do a quick coaching search and ultimately decided on continuity in Arnett. The Bulldogs may look drastically different schematically in 2023, but the coaching staff remained largely intact and the team was able to avoid a mass exodus of players following the coaching change.

The Bulldogs moved quickly, taking just three days to announce Arnett as their newest head coach. The brilliant defensive mind was welcomed by fans and media pundits alike, and the Bulldogs showed faith in his coaching abilities by signing him to a four-year deal. That’s the longest tenure allowed by the state of Mississippi.

Arnett signed a $3 million contract in December, which is by far the smallest amount in the SEC. Arnett has plenty of performance-based incentives, though those have not been made public.

Arnett’s journey to SEC head coach was fairly straightforward. He began his coaching career in 2011 as a graduate assistant with San Diego State, taking over as linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator.

He moved to Mississippi State in 2020 as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach before moving to safeties in 2022.

Arnett’s Net Worth

Various websites have reported Arnett’s net worth to be in the neighborhood of $5 million, but that is unconfirmed. When Arnett was defensive coordinator, he made $1,225,000 a year. He’s also very young. At 36, he is the youngest head coach in the SEC — he will have plenty of opportunities to make more as he continues his coaching career.

The Bulldogs quickly locked down Arnett in the immediate aftermath of Leach’s death, but they didn’t commit earth-shattering money to their newest head coach. If Arnett improves the team and impresses the Mississippi State administration, he should see his salary and potential bonuses improve.