Why Jeff Lebby will be covered in mayo if Mississippi State beats Wake Forest
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STARKVILLE — Jeff Lebby does not like to eat mayo.
But the Mississippi State football coach sure would love to have mayo dumped on him.
That’s what will happen if the Bulldogs (5-7) defeat Wake Forest (8-4) in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 2. The winning coach gets a tub of mayonnaise dumped on him after the game, one of the several traditions involving the condiment at the bowl game.
“I’ve never been more excited about the opportunity to have it dumped on me,” Lebby said.
That’s the highlight of the bowl game, but there are many more highlights involving mayo. Here’s what else to know.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl history explained
The Duke’s Mayo Bowl, formerly the Belk Bowl, started in 2020. The mayo baths didn’t begin until 2021, with South Carolina’s Shane Beamer the first victim. Other coaches to get dumped in mayo have been Maryland’s Mike Locksley in 2022, West Virginia’s Neal Brown in 2023 and Minnesota’s PJ Fleck in 2024.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!@Coach_Fleck just took a mayo bath!!! #RTB#SkiUMah#Gopherspic.twitter.com/CwVwqwNV2p
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) January 4, 2025
The winning coach also gets $10,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.
“It’s one of the most unique things in college football,” said Miller Yoho, the director of communications and marketing for the Charlotte Sports Foundation, which organizes the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Fans lean into the mayo bit throughout the game. Some of them will eat spoonfuls of mayo straight from the jar. Or they’ll take shots of mayo straight from the bottle. There’s always a mayo eating contest, too.
The Mayo Man is a mascot that’s dressed as a mayonnaise jar.
“That is someone who will be roaming around the stadium, making sure you always have mayonnaise on your food,” Yoho said.
The TV announcers play into the fun as well. They’ll sample different food items topped with mayo during the broadcast like french fries, nachos, pepperoni rolls and more. Former MSU coach Dan Mullen was on the call for the 2023 game between North Carolina and West Virginia.
Here’s the first @DukesMayoBowl mayonnaise taste test from @MattBarrie and @CoachDanMullen, of the habanero garlic flavor. “My mayo hormones are raging…actually, I don’t know how smart it was to rip that habanero before calling a play.” – Barrie. pic.twitter.com/wYXLJ10KRo
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 27, 2023
New for this season is a supporter’s section called the “Mayo Maniacs,” who will add to the rowdiness. Yoho said 75 tickets were purchased within the first 24 hours, and the section is completely sold out.
“These are people who bought tickets before the teams were even announced, only with the promise of we’re going to feed you and you get to have as much fun as possible as a Duke’s Mayo Maniac,” Yoho said. “It’s meant to be like a soccer-type shirtless football fan experience.”
Mississippi State football players not big mayo fans
A few of the Mississippi State players surveyed shared the same sentiment as Lebby. They are not fans of mayo but would love to see him doused in it after an MSU win.
“I don’t like mayo,” quarterback Kamario Taylor said. “I’m going to clown him for sure. He’s going to get mayo poured on him. I just hope it doesn’t it doesn’t stink. I don’t mess around with mayo.”
“I hate mayo,” linebacker Nic Mitchell said. “It makes me cringe. I just hope he closes his mouth when the mayo is getting poured on him.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Duke’s Mayo Bowl coach dump explained for Mississippi State game
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