Jeff Lebby returns to Starkville from Chattanooga-area recruiting swing

On June 5, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby flew from Potato Run Airport near Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Starkville’s George M. Bryan Airport in a 1-hour, 43-minute flight aboard the university’s Learjet 45 (N204MS). The trip arrived during the summer recruiting window, a quiet period that still allows coaches to attend camps and evaluation events off campus.

Lebby has made the Tennessee Valley a frequent destination since taking over in 2023. Per [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/how-jeff-lebby-is-rebuilding-mississippi-state-a-program-still-in-search-of-healing-and-stability/), he rebuilt Mississippi State’s roster through the transfer portal and aggressive high-school recruitment. The program’s recent flights to Nashville and back — including a June 3 round trip — underscore the region’s importance as a talent pipeline for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State’s 2026 recruiting class has had some turbulence — four three-star recruits decommitted last October, per the [Clarion Ledger](https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/mississippi-state/2025/10/07/jeff-lebby-mississippi-state-football-recruiting-2026/86567872007/) — but Lebby has shown he can close. This Chattanooga-area trip fits the pattern of a coach grinding every corner of the South for the next Bulldog.