The Ole Miss Rebels found out their College Football Playoff fate after an anxious wait for the Committee’s decision during a week when their coach, Lane Kiffin, took the LSU Tigers job. The Rebels were not penalized for losing their coach, as feared, and were ranked No. 6, with a first-round home game against No. 11 Tulane on Dec. 20.
Despite departing for Baton Rouge, Kiffin allowed his new LSU offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr., to return to Oxford to help the team during the College Football Playoff.
Lane Kiffin Allows Staff To Return to Ole Miss
On Monday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed on X that Kiffin had allowed tight ends coach Joe Cox, assistant QB coach Dane Stevens, slot wide receivers coach Sawyer Jordan, and wide receivers coach George McDonald to return to Ole Miss to help the team during the playoff.
Kiffin quote-tweeted Thamel’s report on X with four words: “Go win it all!!!!” Kiffin tweeted.
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Go win it all!!!! https://t.co/vmTokfx3v5— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 9, 2025
In his exit message, Kiffin revealed that athletic director Keith Carter had denied his request to continue coaching the Rebels during the College Football Playoff. Former Rebels defensive coordinator Pete Golding was immediately elevated to head coach of the program as Ole Miss closed ranks before the playoff.
Kiffin’s subsequent move to allow Weis and several assistants to continue coaching his former team during the showcase event has fueled discourse about the unusual circumstances of his departure from Oxford.
Pete Golding Takes Jab at Kiffin Despite CFP Gesture
Despite Kiffin’s gesture to allow more assistants to return to Oxford during his first news conference as the Rebels coach, Golding took a jab at the new LSU coach by revealing that he would not indulge in the routines that the charismatic coach held dear during his tenure at Ole Miss.
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“I’m not changing who I am,” Golding said. “I ain’t changing what the hell I wear or going to yoga or playing pickleball. I ain’t doing any of that shit. I am who I am.
“We’re going to roll. We’re going to do this thing the right way. I’ve done it a long time around a lot of good people and we’re going to give it our best shot and see what happens.”
Despite Kiffin’s departure, according to PFSN’s College Football Playoff Meter, the Rebels (11-1), who only lost one narrow game to the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens during the regular season, have a 19.04% chance of reaching the national championship game under Golding.
