Ole Miss Football Lands Former Oklahoma Sooners Staffer in Major Addition for Rebels

Kentucky Wildcats inside linebackers coach Mike Stoops will depart Lexington this offseason for a role on Pete Golding's Ole Miss Rebels staff for the 2026 season, according to Rivals.

Stoops will reunite with Golding after the two spent time on Nick Saban's staff with the Alabama Crimson Tide across the years.

Heading into his stint with the Ole Miss program, it remains to be seen what Stoops' role will be on Golding's staff, but there will be a strong likelihood that he will take on duties with the defensive unit moving forward.

In 2024, Stoops brought in All-American transfer linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson from Georgia. where he led a tight-knit defensive group with 67 tackles, which included seven tackles for loss (-32 yards) and 3.5 sacks (-26 yards).

That also included a team-best and career-best 14 tackles, a sack and his own forced fumble recovery at Tennessee with it clear as day that Stoops can evaluate top talent across America.

Stoops also had the privilege of coaching inside linebacker D’Eryk Jackson who amassed 216 career tackles with 17 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, five interceptions, nine pass breakups and one forced fumble in his four-year career, including leading the team in tackles in 2022 and 2023. In the Spring of 2025, Jackson signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

Ole Miss has added Mike Stoops to its staff. He was most recently ILB coach at Kentucky. The Iowa alum has made stops at Kansas State, Oklahoma, Alabama, FAU and was a head coach at Arizona for seven seasons. More here at @OMSpiritOn3

🔗 https://t.co/zhX5iyEDAC pic.twitter.com/8GlwofYqyc
— Zach Berry (@Zach_Berry) February 18, 2026

According to Stoops' Kentucky bio: "Mike Stoops, like Mark, played college football as a safety at Iowa. Mike earned United Press International First Team All-America honors in 1984. He also was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection in 1983-84, and led the Big Ten in interceptions in 1983, totaling six in nine games.

"After graduation, he went on to play in the National Football League as a defensive back with the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa in 1986 before later moving to Kansas State from 1992-98."

Now, Ole Miss adds a college football lifer to the staff with Stoops having experience with the Oklahoma Sooners, Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Kansas State Wildcats, among several others.

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program