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The confusion over who will coach No. 6 Ole Miss in the playoffs has reached a resolution, at least through the semifinals.
LSU is allowing offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who follows Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to Baton Rouge after the season ends, to remain with the Rebels for Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 10 Miami.
Running backs coach Kevin Smith is also slated to continue coaching Ole Miss, ESPN reported.
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Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (right) talks with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. during warmups prior to a game against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Petre Thomas/Imagn Images)
Several key coordinators and assistants agreed to contracts with LSU shortly after Kiffin left the Rebels, including offensive coordinator Weis, tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox and wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator George McDonald. Cox and McDonald are not expected to coach Ole Miss on Thursday.
New Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding noted the uncertainty of which coaches would be available this weekend.
“They have every opportunity that they have up to this point to be able to make that decision,” Golding said on Saturday. “So week in and week out, I don’t dictate whether they do it or not, because they’re not employed by me. Up until now, that’s how it’s been, and that’s my expectation.”
Mississippi Rebels offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. watches during warmups prior to the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Petre Thomas/Imagn Images)
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Ole Miss actually prevented Kiffin from finishing the season with the team. However, LSU agreed to pay Kiffin’s College Football Playoff bonuses.
LSU had reportedly targeted three key players — quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy and kicker Lucas Carneiro — from Ole Miss’ quarterfinal win, but all three signed deals to remain with the Rebels.
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding lifts the Sugar Bowl trophy after the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Jan. 1, 2026. (Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The Rebels knocked off Tulane convincingly in the first round of the playoffs before defeating No. 3 seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels-Hurricanes winner advances to face either No. 1 Indiana or No. 5 Georgia for the national championship.
