Who is Zach Arnett's wife, Emily? Taking a closer look at the Mississippi HC's personal life

Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett is one of the Southeastern Conference's youngest football coaches. The 36-year-old was made interim coach of Mississippi State following Mike Leach's hospitalization in December 2022. He became the head coach of the Bulldogs when Leach died.

Arnett is married to Emily Arnett. Together, they have two kids. The couple married in 2016 after being engaged for some years. Zach met Emily when he was working at San Diego State. He proposed to her at her 24th birthday dinner at Island Prime restaurant in San Diego.

Emily is so from Temecula, California. She played volleyball at San Diego State before graduating in 2011 with a degree in communications.

A certified personal trainer, she commits her time to raising her two kids, Case and Collins. She has been understanding and supportive of her husband's career, moving with him from San Diego, California, to Starkville, Mississippi.

Zach Arnett's career timeline

Zach Arnett started his coaching career at San Diego State as a graduate assistant under Rocky Long. He had played as a linebacker under Long at New Mexico. His career took off steadily, and he got promoted to linebackers coach within three years.

Five of his linebackers made All-Mountain West selections, including Calvin Munson, who got selected three times. Another promotion came his way in 2018 as he became defensive coordinator.

Zach Arnett was named the new defensive coordinator at Syracuse on Jan. 11, 2020. He held the job for only 11 days and got hired by Mississippi State as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach on Jan. 22, 2020.

The defense he inherited at Mississippi State was ranked 73rd in total defense. He interviewed for the defensive coordinator role at Texas, LSU and Oregon. He decided to remain at Mississippi State, however.

Although he won his first game as head coach of the Bulldogs, Arnett remains largely unproven in the role. His ascent to the role is circumstantial, and it can be argued that he is not prepared for the job.

However, he had the good fortune of learning under a reputable coach like Rocky Long both as a player and assistant coach. The coming season is going to present him with the opportunity to announce himself on the big stage.