LSU allows Charlie Weis Jr to coach Ole Miss into playoff semifinals: report

The confusion around who will lead No. 6 Ole Miss in the playoffs found a solution, at least until the semi-finals.

LSU authorizes offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who follows Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to Baton Rouge at the end of the season, 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.

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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 game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. (Pierre Thomas/Imagn Images)

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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 raises the Sugar Bowl trophy after the Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinals at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 1, 2026. (Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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The Rebels beat Tulane convincingly in the first round of the playoffs before defeat Georgiathe No. 3 seed, in the Sugar Bowl. The Rebels-Hurricanes winner will face either No. 1 Indiana or No. 5 Georgia for the national championship.

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