A 'fired up' John David Baker is officially back at the helm of the Ole Miss offense
On Tuesday morning the reports were in that head coach Pete Golding had brought back a familiar face to lead the Ole Miss offense. By the end of the day that report was confirmed by John David Baker himself.
One of two important hires is in the books by Golding, naming Baker as the next offensive coordinator of the Rebels. He will replace Charlie Weis, Jr. who will head to LSU after the Rebels run through the College Football Playoff concludes.
Baker and Weis worked together during the former’s first stint at Ole Miss as co-offensive coordinators.
“I’m so fired up to come back home and be the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss,” Baker said in a statement released by the school. “My three years in Oxford made a monumental impact on my career and the chance to come back to lead this unit means the world to me
“We’ve got a great foundation in place here. Our identity and philosophy are clear, and I’m confident the continuity of this system will let our guys play fast day 1. We’re going to continue to push this unit forward as one of the most exciting and explosive offenses in the country.
“I want to thank Coach Golding for entrusting me with this opportunity and I can’t wait to get to work and be back around my Rebel family in Oxford.”
Baker is returning to Ole Miss after two seasons at East Carolina as the Pirates offensive coordinator. In both the 2024 and 2025 seasons East Carolina put up at least 5,576 total yards of offense. The group averaged at least 32 points per game in both seasons under Baker, too.
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The tempo the Rebels offense has been known for as one of the leading units in the country looks to be continuing. East Carolina ran 940 plays during the regular season for a 78.3 plays per game clip. By comparison Ole Miss ran 898 plays (74.8) this season.
There is still work to be done by Golding in assembling his coaching staff for 2026 but he is off to a good start. Special teams coordinator Jake Schoonover and offensive line coach John Garrison have already re-upped with Ole Miss, signing new contracts.
The school also announced on Tuesday the return of Kelvin Bolden to Golding’s staff. After leaving to join LSU’s staff in July Bolden is officially back in Oxford and working in the recruiting department, though his new title is not currently known.
The next big hire on the to-do list is to replace former general manager Billy Glasscock who left with Lane Kiffin to LSU. Other position spots on offense that need to be filled are tight ends coach, wide receivers coach and potentially the running backs coach.
