Ole Miss AD Reveals Reasoning To Allow Charlie Weis Jr. To Coach CFP, Not Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss Football is set to begin a new era in Oxford following the departure of Lane Kiffin after making the decision to join the LSU Tigers as the head coach.

In a historic move, Kiffin signed the dotted line with the LSU program to become the new shot-caller in Baton Rouge - walking away from Ole Miss amid a College Football Playoff run.

Once Kiffin made the move to depart Oxford, it was decided by Ole Miss officials that he would not be able to coach in the postseason.

“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," Kiffin said in a statement on Sunday.

“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.”

LSU Tigers Football. — Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Kiffin brought over a myriad of staffers with him to Baton Rouge, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr,, but he's been allowed to coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff.

Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter opened up on the reasoning to allow him to coach in the postseason and not Kiffin.

“I’m not worried about that at all,” Carter said on The OM Spirit Podcast this week. “Quite honestly, I think the coaches who are not in our building working, game-planning, you have a lot more time when you’re sitting in Baton Rouge to pre-portal and do those type of things when you’re not worried about a playoff game.

“Charlie Weis is a great man. Really, from day one, he said, ‘Hey, I want to finish what we started.’ To me, it’s a lot different with the head coach than the staff. The head coach is the one that chose to go take another position and put some people in some really tough spots.

"These guys believe in Charlie. You talk to Trinidad, you talk to Kewan, you talk to the offensive line, Dae’Quan Wright, these guys believe in Charlie. Charlie’s going to call a great game. Hopefully multiple games. I know he wants to do that.”

Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Sep 13, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (right) reacts with Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter (left) after defeating the Arkansas Razorback at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Now, Carter has also teased a new hire in Oxford with the staff set to see changes in the coming weeks.

“Obviously, first priority over the last few days was, ‘Hey, let’s solidify this playoff staff.’ What is this going to look like? Who’s going to call the plays?” Carter said.

“Obviously we’ve got Charlie [Weis] coming back to do that. We’ve got [offensive line coach John] Garrison, we’ve got [running backs coach] Kevin Smith and [quarterbacks coach] Joe Judge. The offensive side of the ball, we think, is solidified in a great way.

“We’ve got a couple other moving parts and maybe some new staff members we’re going to announce here over the next couple of days I think everybody will be really excited about as we make this run, too. The defensive side of the ball is strong. Pete, obviously, is now the head coach, but all his guys over on the defensive side, they’re ready to roll.”

All eyes remain on the Ole Miss Rebels heading into the postseason with a College Football Playoff berth within arms reach.

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Makes Final Decision on Lane Kiffin Coaching CFP As LSU Tigers Pick Up Steam

Potential Lane Kiffin Replacements Revealed As Future With Ole Miss 'In Doubt'

Tony Vitello Pokes Fun at Ole Miss Football's Lane Kiffin in Goodbye to Tennessee

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