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Ole Miss extends athletic director Keith Carter's contract through 2029

On3 imageby: Billy Embody07/10/25BillyEmbody
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Keith Carter. (Ole Miss Athletics)

Ole Miss has extended athletic director Keith Carter’s contract through 2029, the university announced on Thursday. The new contract rewards record on-field success and academic achievement for student-athletes, the release stated.

“As a key member of the university leadership team for more than six years, Keith has elevated Ole Miss Athletics to new heights, strengthening our competitive excellence and delivering an unmatched student-athlete experience,” Chancellor Glenn F. Boyce said in a statement. “Ole Miss continues to build extraordinary momentum across every aspect of the university, and we’re excited to see how our strong foundation and shared vision will drive continued success.”

“It’s an incredible honor to continue leading Ole Miss Athletics, and I’m grateful to Chancellor Boyce for his support and the trust he’s placed in me and our team,” Carter said. “His guidance and friendship have provided me great strength to confidently direct our department. I am also indebted to the Athletics Foundation and its membership for their belief in me and our program as a whole. We could not compete at this championship level without their passionate support.

“While we take pride in what we’ve achieved thus far, we firmly believe the best is yet to come. We’re excited to build on our success and further strengthen our position as one of the top brands in college athletics.”

Ole Miss placed 27th in the Learfield Cup this year, marking just its third finish of 27 or better in the cup’s history and all in the last five years under Carter’s leadership. The Rebels’ 20th-place finish in 2021-22 stands as the highest ever for a Mississippi school and came on the heels of a No. 22 rank following the 2020-21 campaign.

Before Carter’s tenure, Ole Miss recorded only two top-40 finishes and five top-50 since the 1994 launch. 

Carter’s administration has brought facility growth including a $45 million renovation of the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center that was completed in July 2023 and the $32 million construction of the new Ole Miss Softball Stadium that opened in February. Other projects in the near future include renovations at the Ole Miss Soccer Stadium and Ole Miss Golf Complex.

Carter’s attention will be largely around future fundraising and revenue generation for Ole Miss. Ole Miss earlier this year that senior administrator Matt McLaughlin is Ole Miss’ first Senior Associate A.D. for Strategy and Cap Management. 

“We don’t want to become like NASCAR,” Carter said last month. “I don’t mean that in a bad way towards NASCAR; they obviously have a great product. But we don’t want logos just kind of posted everywhere. We’ve got to find the right fit. 

“But revenue is king these days. We’re certainly looking hard for a corporate sponsor to put their name on the field, on the basketball court, those type of things. We can do that across, really, all of our venues. That’s a big revenue opportunity as we move forward.”

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