LSU, Charlie Weis Jr., agree to new deal despite Ole Miss' efforts

Charlie Weis Jr. is locked in with LSU and is now the highest paid offensive coordinator in the SEC, The Advocate reported on Wednesday afternoon. Weis was on the plane with Lane Kiffin coming to LSU weeks ago and had a term sheet signed, but now LSU has amended that to give him a new deal worth $7.5 million over three years.

There was substantial interest from Ole Miss to try to keep him, but Weis Jr. is heading to Baton Rouge after Ole Miss’ playoff run and will be Kiffin’s offensive coordinator. The deal includes an annual “look-in” to always make him the highest-paid SEC OC as well.

Weis Jr. is one of several offensive coaches that will be coming with Lane Kiffin to LSU, but are first finishing out the season with Ole Miss before heading to Baton Rouge.

Weis Jr. has been with Kiffin since 2022 and the offense has continued to pump out strong performances and elite offensive seasons one after another and now Kiffin and Weis Jr. will head the attack at LSU moving forward. Weis Jr. was also the quarterbacks coach for Jaxson Dart and now Trinidad Chambliss, both of which have had monster seasons in their time at Ole Miss.

Even before Weis got to Ole Miss, he was a highly touted offensive mind as the offensive coordinator at South Florida in 2020 and 2021, and before that he was with Kiffin at FAU as his offensive coordinator for two years before Kiffin left.

Charlie Weis Jr.’s time at Ole Miss

Weis Jr.’s Rebel offense took a hatchet to the Ole Miss record books in 2024, which ended with program records in total offense (6,845), yards per play (7.3), passing yards (4,561) and passing yards per game (350.8). Ole Miss’ passing offense was among the best in the nation, leading the FBS in passing efficiency (176.6) while also leading the SEC in total offense (526.5 ypg, FBS No. 2), passing offense (350.8 ypg, FBS No. 2), scoring offense (38.6 ppg, FBS No. 3), yards per completion (15.5, FBS No. 4) and completion percentage (68.0, FBS No. 8). For his efforts, Weis Jr. won the Graphite Award for best SEC Offensive Playcaller.

Instrumental to Ole Miss’ success in 2024 was the play of star senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, an All-SEC first teamer who concluded his Rebel career as the best signal caller to ever don the Red and Navy across several statistical categories. Dart, an eventual first round NFL Draft selection of the New York Giants, led the nation in total offense (4,774), total offense per game (367.2), passing efficiency (180.7), yards per attempt (10.8), 30-yard completions (38), 40-yard completions (19), 50-yard completions (12), 60-yard completions (9) and was tied for the national lead in 20-yard completions (74), while also leading the SEC in in passing yards (4,279; No. 3 FBS), passing yards per game (329.2; No. 3 FBS) and completion percentage (69.3; No. 9 FBS), while tied for the SEC lead and seventh nationally in 70-yard completions (2).

Dart took down Ole Miss single-season records in total offense (4,774), passing yards (4,279), passing efficiency (180.7), yards per pass attempt (10.8), yards per completion (15.5) and total offense per play (9.15), while tying the record for 400-yard passing games (3), while also breaking Ole Miss career marks in wins by a starting quarterback (28), winning percentage by a starting QB (.737; 28-10 as a starter), total offense (12,115), passing yards (10,617), passing efficiency (162.8), 300-yard passing games (15), rushing yards by a QB (1,498), total offense per play (8.14), and tied for the records in yards per pass attempt (9.5), 400-yard passing games (4).

Weis helped construct a powerful Rebel offense in 2023, helping spur Ole Miss to its first 11-win season in program history and a Peach Bowl victory over Penn State.

Ole Miss finished within the top-15 in the final FBS ranks in yards per completion (10th, 14.5), passing efficiency (12th, 162.9) and total offense (13th, 461.9), while also leading the nation in fewest turnovers (7) and leading the SEC and ranking fifth nationally in turnover margin (+11). The Rebels ripped off five games with at least 500 yards of total offense, two with 600 and a whopping 706 vs. LSU — the fifth-most in Ole Miss history.

Weis specifically mentored star quarterback Jaxson Dart to his best season, who threw for 3,364 yards (fifth all-time), 23 touchdowns (sixth all-time) and only five interceptions — tied for the fewest in Ole Miss history in a single-season with at least 200 passing attempts. Dart was difficult to rattle, ending with the second-best passing efficiency rating in Ole Miss history at 162.4 and the third-best completion percentage at 65.1 percent.

In his first season with the Rebels in 2022, Weis helped oversee an Ole Miss offense that posted the No. 4 total offensive average in school history at 496.4 yards per game. Ole Miss ranked eighth in the FBS and third in the SEC at that total offense number, while leading the conference and ranking third nationally at 256.6 rushing yards per game — led by a new school record 3,336 yards.

*Stats from Ole Miss athletics