re: Mississippi State is about to hire Steve Sarkisian

I have tried to filter out the noise.

The only things known for sure:

1. Napier has been the top target since the beginning. He doesn't seem to want to leave his current arrangement, at least for MSU.

2. The backup was Judge. We thought we had this wrapped up Monday with Joe Judge and then Matt Rhule took the Panthers job and the Giants hired Judge.

3. MSU has continued to court Napier while interviewing other candidates. Gene Chizik, Steve Sarkisian, Todd Grantham, Troy Calhoun, Jeff Monken and others were interviewed.

4. Last night, it was being reported from both the Alabama camp and the MSU camp that Sark was the guy and it would be announced this morning.

5. Something happened to delay that. We are in that holding pattern.

6. Bo Bounds, a radio host in Jackson and a Finebaum insider has been pushing Leach since Judge took the Giants job. He's had some cryptic tweets, and Finebaum is reporting that MSU met with Leach at his home in Key West.

7. There have been billboards put up in Starkville and in the Jackson area saying to #BringHudHome, referring to Mark Hudspedth, former ULL and North Alabama coach and current coach at Austin Peay. There has been zero official interest in even talking to Hud, which has infuriated a sizable number of MSU fans, who believe Hud is the best option.

Here are some things that we don't know for sure but shed some light on why MSU still has not named a coach.

1. Napier and his agent messed this up or he has an inflated view of himself. An offer was made and he countered. MSU would not meet this offer and it went awry.

2. Aaron Feld, formerly at Georgia and now at Oregon, is thought to be the next S&C coach. Napier may have wanted to bring his guy from ULL.

3. The offers that we have been making are in the $3.5-4 MM/year range. Leach would demand more. The "meeting" that is being referred to might be in regards to this. Mississippi State law has some weird requirements for paying state employees.