OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — As Pete Golding prepares to make his head-coaching debut for Ole Miss in a high-stakes College Football Playoff game, he’s pushing the message that the Rebels are “focused on the mission, not the man.”
That “man” is former coach Lane Kiffin, the brazen architect of the Rebels’ dynamic, high-octane offense.
Kiffin lobbied to keep coaching Ole Miss in the postseason even after accepting LSU’s $13 million-a-year offer to coach the Tigers in 2026, but Mississippi sent him packing on Nov. 30. That set in motion coaching staff upheaval that the No. 6 seed Rebels have been forced to confront even as they prepare to host 11th-seeded Tulane in a first-round playoff game on Saturday.
Several key offensive assistants — including coordinator Charlie Weiss, tight ends coach Joe Cox and receivers coaches George McDonald and Sawyer Jordan — have decided to follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge.
However, Weiss has been permitted to remain with the Rebels through the CFP, offering some measure of stability for the offense.