Ole Miss keeps OC, RBs coach for Fiesta Bowl as Lane Kiffin pulls back originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ole Miss will keep offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and running backs coach Kevin Smith on staff for its College Football Playoff semifinal, as the coaching crossover with LSU gets reduced ahead of the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
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Sources told ESPN that LSU’s administration is allowing Weis and Smith, who are both slated to join Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge, to continue coaching No. 6 Ole Miss against No. 10 Miami. The Rebels are scheduled to fly to Arizona on Tuesday for Thursday night’s game.
Weis and Smith traveled to Baton Rouge on Monday for recruiting visits before returning to Oxford later that night, according to reports. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter wants continuity. “Our main focus is on winning this game,” Carter told ESPN. “Charlie has been awesome, juggling two high-profile jobs.”
The list of LSU-bound assistants coaching in the semifinal is now down to two. Tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox and receivers coach/passing game coordinator George McDonald are not expected to coach in the Fiesta Bowl after assisting in Ole Miss’ first two CFP wins.
Rebels coach Pete Golding said he has tried to downplay the situation. “Our players know what to do,” Golding said. “It’s going to have no impact on the game.”
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Off-field complications have included tampering allegations voiced publicly by Ole Miss’ NIL collective leadership and speculation about potential portal targets. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy have since agreed to return for 2026, while kicker Lucas Carneiro also signed a new deal after his Sugar Bowl heroics.
Golding maintained that departures are part of the game. “We’re going to go out there and spot the ball,” he said. “We’ll be just fine.”
