Two Ole Miss Assistants Will Remain With Lane Kiffin and LSU Football, Opt Out of CFP

Kiffin and Co. continue working behind the scenes in the Transfer Portal, pair of assistants remaining at LSU for good.

Aug 30, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (right) talks with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. during warm ups prior to the game against the Georgia State Panthers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers continue navigating a chaotic stretch in Baton Rouge with the coaching staff piecing together a strong Transfer Portal Class across the current window.

Once the portal opened on Jan. 2, Kiffin and Co. immediately went to work with the Tigers hosting multiple coveted transfers during the first weekend of the window.

LSU has had an all-hands on deck approach, but with multiple assistant coaches that followed Kiffin to Baton Rouge working double duty - assistant Ole Miss in the program's College Football Playoff run - it's made things challenging.

Now, Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding has revealed that two offensive assistant coaches will not coach the Rebels in the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Miami Hurricanes on Thursday night:

- George McDonald: Wide Receivers Coach
- Joe Cox: Tight Ends Coach

LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shake hands after a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Once Kiffin made his move to LSU, the new shot-caller of the Tigers brought multiple offensive assistant coaches with him to Baton Rouge - including McDonald, Cox, and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., among several others.

Weis Jr. will be in the booth for the Ole Miss versus Miami Hurricanes clash on Thursday, but the Rebels will now be without two critical assistants, according to Golding.

The Rebels are one win away from reaching the National Title Game while LSU is retooling the roster in Baton Rouge via the Transfer Portal in order to emerge as a contender in 2026.

“It’s going to be a problem. Leave it to Lane Kiffin to be sitting there right now with most of his coaching staff having another week (at Ole Miss). He can tweet all he wants, but he expected and I’m sure deep down he was figuring Ole Miss would be out of it early and I could get my staff,” Paul Finebaum said on Friday morning on ESPN’s Get Up.

“This is why he left early, to go to LSU and start recruiting when this portal window opened today. And now he is stuck, and can’t really do much about it. It is going to be a chaotic week.”

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

But Kiffin remains transparent about the process and how he remains in "constant communication" with Golding.

“Everything has been extremely clear and transparent between myself and Pete Golding through constant communication, including a plan all the way through this historic championship run," Kiffin told ESPN. "What an amazing night for all Ole Miss players, coaches and fans.”

Ole Miss and Miami will kickoff in Glendale (Ariz.) on Jan. 8 at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN with a berth to the title game on the line.

More LSU News:

LSU Hosts No. 1 EDGE Transfer as Lane Kiffin Pushes For Ex-Penn State Defender

LSU Football Hosting Elite Florida Gators Transfer For Visit, Former Five-Star Recruit

Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats Among Teams to Watch for LSU Football Transfer

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