As Ole Miss Advances in CFP, Kiffin Collects Bonuses—and Its Staff

Ole Miss continues to write one of the most improbable stories in sports, reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals soon after the late November departure of head coach Lane Kiffin for SEC rival LSU. Who will be aiding head coach Pete Golding, however, for the Rebels’ Fiesta Bowl matchup Jan. 8 against Miami remains an open question.

In the wake of the dramatic Ole Miss victory over No. 3 seed Georgia on New Year’s Day in the CFP quarterfinals, Golding said that LSU determines how many of Kiffin’s assistants can remain with their former team during this transition period. Several of those coaches ultimately headed for Baton Rouge to join Kiffin, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., have been heretofore allowed to stay with Ole Miss.

The result of the ongoing and somewhat improbable CFP march of the Rebels is that this awkward situation with the assistant coaches is extending for at least another week. That’s all subject to change, however, and it’s now expected that some—if not most—of them will not return to Ole Miss for the upcoming Miami game.

“They have every opportunity like they have up to this point to be able to make that decision,” Golding said of the coaches. “So week in and week out, I don’t dictate whether they do that or not, because they’re not employed by me. Up to this point, that’s how it’s been, and that’s my expectation.”

Complicating Factors

During the initial portion of the CFP, the Ole Miss-LSU overlap and the resulting staff impacts of Kiffin’s move were complicated enough. The Jan. 2 opening of the college football transfer portal, something already involving nearly a third of the sport’s entire player pool, has increased that complexity much more. 

Several of the assistant coaches under contract to LSU, including receivers coach George McDonald and tight ends coach Joe Cox, traveled to Baton Rouge after the Ole Miss–Georgia game to aid Kiffin in LSU’s initial recruiting efforts for the 2026 season as the portal opened. According to multiple reports, they likely won’t be headed back to be with Ole Miss.   

Golding, for his part, sought to downplay the impact of the off-field drama involving LSU.

“Our players know what to do,” Golding said. “It’s going to have no impact on the [CFP semifinal] game.”

Outside observers, however, continue to point to an inherent conflict of interest at play. While several other college programs have allowed incoming coaching hires to finish out the season with their old team, never before has there been a situation like the one with Kiffin, where a CFP-entrant coach left just before the start of the tournament, or one with as much high-level staff impact. 

“It’s detestable, abhorrent behavior, and it needs to be stopped immediately by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey,” wrote AL.com columnist Joseph Goodman. 

Kiffin, meanwhile, continues to pile up bonuses with the Ole Miss run. With the Georgia victory, he is in line for $500,000 in total bonuses. LSU is paying those incentives. He can earn up to $1 million if the Rebels win it all.