College football is in uncharted waters. Conference realignment, the introduction of NIL, and the removal of certain restrictions around the transfer portal have created a nearly unrecognizable landscape.
Things came to a head over the weekend in a messy situation involving the Ole Miss Rebels and the LSU Tigers. Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin coached the Rebels to an 11-2 record, all but guaranteeing a spot in the college football playoff.
However, Ole Miss decided that Kiffin wouldn’t be allowed to remain the coach for the school due to his accepting a position as the new head coach for LSU, as Kiffin revealed in a statement on Sunday.
“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU.
“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern.
“My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels.
“While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”
However, the Rebels are now set to get at least one coach back for their playoff run, after he originally departed with Kiffin, according to one prominent outlet.
“BREAKING: Charlie Weis is returning to Ole Miss as offensive coordinator to coach the playoffs, the school announced. Weis boarded a plane to Baton Rouge with Lane Kiffin on Sunday.,” reported On3 on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Charlie Weis is returning to Ole Miss as offensive coordinator to coach the playoffs, the school announced.
Weis boarded a plane to Baton Rouge with Lane Kiffin on Sunday. https://t.co/yiXGdiAi4O pic.twitter.com/SONsNK0OTG
— On3 (@On3sports) December 2, 2025
It’ll be interesting to see if the school allows Kiffin to return in any capacity.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.