Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach hospitalized for ‘personal health issue’

© Rogelio V. Solis, AP Mississippi State coach Mike Leach confers with quarterback Will Rogers (2) during the first half of the team’s NCAA college football game against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach was hospitalized Sunday for a “personal health issue,” according to the MSU athletics. Leach’s health issue led to him being transferred to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

Leach, 61, is in his third season with the Bulldogs and guided Mississippi State to a 24-22 victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 24.

Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett is “in charge of the MSU football team” until Leach’s return, school president Mark E Keenum and interim athletic director Bracky Brett said.

The Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will face Illinois (8-4, 5-4 Big 10) in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2 (11 a.m., ESPN) in Tampa, Florida.

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Leach brought his Air Raid offense to Starkville in January 2020 and he’s 19-17 in three seasons with Mississippi State.

Leach also coached at Texas Tech and Washington State before joining the Bulldogs. He has a 158-107 record in 21 seasons.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach hospitalized for ‘personal health issue’