Report: Four LSU offensive assistants returning to Ole Miss for College Football Playoff

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, four LSU offensive assistants are set to return to Ole Miss for the upcoming College Football Playoff run. After following Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge, Thamel said he has allowed them to coach the Rebels until the season ends. This comes after offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. made the same move.

“Sources: Four current LSU offensive assistants are joining OC Charlie Weis Jr. at Ole Miss to prepare the team for the CFP run,” Thamel said via X. “TE coach Joe Cox, WR coach George McDonald, assistant QB coach Dane Stevens and slot WR coach Sawyer Jordan all returned to Oxford this morning.

“Lane Kiffin made the decision to allow the coaches to return in an effort to help new Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, the staff and players maximize the opportunity ahead in the CFP,” Thamel continued. “(There’d already been a decision to let Weis return, made last week.)”

Ole Miss will spend the next two weeks preparing to host a College Football Playoff game. Thankfully, the coaching staff has already prepared for their opponent, the Tulane Green Wave. This one will have a whole lot more on the line than a Sept. 20 matchup, one that resulted in a 35-point Ole Miss win.

Most important game in Ole Miss history coming on Dec. 20

While there have been some historic moments throughout Ole Miss history, playing in the College Football Playoff certainly takes the top spot. Especially since Vaught Hemingway Stadium gets to play host. A Saturday night afternoon kickoff time was decided on by the television executives, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Golding will be making his head coaching debut when Ole Miss gets out there vs. Tulane. Athletic director Keith Carter decided to make Golding the full-time head coach at Kiffin left for LSU. This allows the Rebels to keep the ship sailing in the same direction, not switching all too much.

“There’s a bunch of kids in that locker room right now that need to get the focus back on them because, at the end of the day, alright, they’re going to determine whether we’re going to win this game or not, right, by their execution and their preparation,” Golding recently said when discussing not having an introductory press conference. “It ain’t going to have nothing to do with what’s the head coach’s name. I can assure you that.”