NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The confusion over who will coach No. 6 Ole Miss into the playoffs has found a resolution, at least until the semifinals.
LSU is allowing offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who follows Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to Baton Rouge at season’s end, to remain with the Rebels for Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 10 Miami.
Running backs coach Kevin Smith is also expected to continue coaching Ole Miss, ESPN reported.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin, right, talks with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. during warmups before a game against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Pierre Thomas/Imagn Images)
Several key coordinators and assistants agreed to contracts with LSU shortly after Kiffin’s departure from 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 over which coaches would be available this weekend.
“They have every opportunity, as they have had so far, to be able to make that decision,” Golding said Saturday. “So, week to week, I don’t dictate to them whether they do it or not, because they’re not employed by me. So far, that’s how it’s gone, and that’s what I expect.”
Mississippi Rebels offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. watches warmups before the Georgia Southern Eagles game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Pierre Thomas/Imagn Images)
A REVIEW OF SPORTS GAMBLE CONTROVERSIES THROUGHOUT 2025, WITH NBA AND MLB INVESTIGATIONS STARTING
Ole Miss actually banned Kiffin from finishing the season with the team. However, LSU agreed to pay Kiffin’s College Football Playoff bonuses.
LSU reportedly targeted three key players — quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, running back Kewan Lacy and kicker Lucas Carneiro — in Ole Miss’ quarterfinal victory, but all three signed deals to remain with the Rebels.
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding lifts the Sugar Bowl trophy after the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on January 1, 2026. (Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The Rebels defeated Tulane convincingly in the first round of the playoffs before defeating No. 3 seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels-Hurricanes winner will face either No. 1 Indiana or No. 5 Georgia for the national championship.
