Former Auburn Tigers offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery has a new job in the SEC, as ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. Per Thamel, "Mississippi State is finalizing a deal to make longtime coach Philip Montgomery the new wide receivers coach and associate head coach for offense. He brings extensive experience with MSU HC Jeff Lebby from their time at Baylor."
Montgomery is now on his third job in three years since leaving Auburn in 2023. His first foray back into coaching after an unsuccessful stint in Lee County, Alabama, was winning a 2024 UFL Championship with the Birmingham Stallions.
In 2025, Montgomery became the Virginia Tech Hokies' offensive coordinator. Very quickly, in mid-September, his job title also included "interim head coach," with Brent Pry being fired on September 14. Montgomery's Hokies went 3-6.
Now, in Starkville, Montgomery has a chance to boost his reputation back up following an uneven stint at Virginia Tech as a position coach with responsibilities akin to a top assistant for Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby.
Philip Montgomery was one of many Hugh Freeze era failures
Beating a dead horse a bit here, but Montgomery was one of the many victims of Hugh Freeze's two-and-a-half-year coaching tenure at AU. Freeze didn't even allow Montgomery the chance to do his job.
"(Freeze being on the same page as his OC) wasn't the case last season when Freeze brought in Philip Montgomery and, for the first time in his career, handed the keys to someone else on offense," our very own Brian Stultz wrote in August 2024 for Rivals. "Montgomery has had successful offenses in the past, but he and Freeze never seemed to get on the same page regarding terminology and philosophy. Auburn's offense suffered partly due to that, with quarterback play being erratic while the struggles at wide receiver continued."
Given how Freeze handled play-calling this past season, assigning different play-callers for different downs but still giving himself the power to override Derrick Nix and Kent Austin, it's unclear what arrangement could've ever worked under Alex Golesh's predecessor.
Montgomery now gets his first chance since to prove he is an SEC-worthy coach. Mississippi State will be his sixth FBS job in his career after coaching 2A, 4A, and 5A High School football in the state of Texas.