LSU RB coach Frank Wilson set to join SEC rival in 2026

LSU running backs coach and interim head coach Frank Wilson is headed to Ole Miss to work for new head coach Pete Golding, On3’s Pete Nakos reported. Wilson is still expected to coach the bowl game for the Tigers before moving on to Ole Miss.

Willson will be the Rebels’ new running backs coach, a role he had at Ole Miss from 2005-2007. A New Orleans native, Wilson has been passionate about Louisiana throughout his career, coaching at LSU from 2010 through 2015 under Less Miles, but he was also a head coach at UTSA and McNeese State before joining LSU’s staff in 2022.

The initial play was for Wilson to finish coaching the bowl game before a decision was announced, but as the calendar continues to move forward, it became clear Wilson was ready to move on and the Tigers were going in another direction.

“We’ve had conversations,” Wilson said last Tuesday. “For me and for Coach Kiffin, let’s play this game on the 27th, and we’ll go into those details later. We just want to finish what we started with this football team, with the team of 2025, give them our undivided attention before transition happens. And so until then, nothing will necessarily happen in that regard. There’ll be opportunity there. Where that lies, I’m not sure. But the priority is our current football team.”

We’ll have to wait to see who the next running backs coach is for Kiffin in 2026 in the coming weeks. Kiffin had Kevin Smith as his running backs coach at Ole Miss who was a key piece in the Rebels’ efficient rushing attack, led by sophomore Kewan Lacy who is one of the top backs in the SEC.

LSU continues to move forward under Lane Kiffin, now set to bring in an entire new coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr. is coming with Kiffin to LSU and the two have had significant success together from their time at FAU to Ole Miss.

Defensively, there will be several familiar faces as defensive coordinator Blake Baker is returning along with several key pieces of his staff from the 2025 season. The Tigers were one of the top 20 defenses in the country this past season and will have expectations of reaching that mark once again this season.

Stay tuned to the Bengal Tiger for the latest LSU news and intel.