Lane Kiffin provides latest on search for Ole Miss offensive coordinator

As Ole Miss is getting ready for the Sugar Bowl, the Rebels have to start getting ready to find a new offensive coordinator. Based on Lane Kiffin’s comments this week, it sounds like he’s not rushing that process.

Jeff Lebby is leaving Ole Miss after the Sugar Bowl to become the offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Oklahoma. It sounds like Kiffin and Ole Miss aren’t looking for his replacement just yet.

“We’ve been busy recruiting,” Kiffin said Monday. “We want to make the right hire. So I really don’t have any information on that except for those are big shoes to fill. [Lebby has] done a great job.”

Lebby was hired to join Brent Venables last week at Oklahoma. He’s a huge reason why Ole Miss had the top offense in the SEC, averaging 506.7 total yards per game.

Quarterback Matt Corral also flourished under Lebby, becoming a Heisman Trophy contender this year by averaging 278.3 passing yards per game.

Lane Kiffin reveals Jeff Lebby involvement with Ole Miss through Sugar Bowl

Oklahoma made quite a splash last week by landing Jeff Lebby as offensive coordinator. But Lebby’s current team, Ole Miss, still has a game left — and it was worth wondering if he’d coach in it.

Rebels coach Lane Kiffin addressed that on Monday, saying Lebby will be on the sidelines for Ole Miss’ Sugar Bowl matchup with Baylor.

“He’ll coach the game,” Kiffin said. “We’re happy for him, going back to his alma mater. [It’s a] great opportunity for him. He’s done an unbelievable job here and he’s going to finish this thing off, which is awesome. It’s kind of basically this team, no matter what it takes. You’re not seeing players opt out. It’s a special team and he’s a huge part of that.

“He’s doing work there, he’ll be back later this week. We respect dual scheduling with him so he can get that job and do this too. Usually, it’s a head coach, like being at Alabama and you get a head job or something. But we’re dealing with a coordinator.”

Lebby suffered a career-ending injury at Oklahoma but stayed on as a student assistant. After a year at the high school level, he went to Baylor from 2008-16, where he worked his way from offensive quality control coach to passing game coordinator and running backs coach.

He spent a year at Southeastern before going to UCF from 2018-19. That’s when Kiffin brought him to Ole Miss, and now he’s getting ready to return to his alma mater under Brent Venables.