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The messiness has now turned into “fireworks.”
Ole Miss’ unexpected upset of Georgia on Thursday has created a sticky situation for the Rebels coaches, nany of which who will be leaving to join ex-coach Lane Kiffin’s new staff at LSU, with uncertainty now surrounding how many of them will still be with the team for its next game, as detailed by ESPN.
The transfer portal opens Friday and runs through Jan. 16, and No. 6 Ole Miss will face No. 10 Miami in the first of the two College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinals on Jan. 8.
Rebels offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends/co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox, wide receivers/passing game coordinator George McDonald and runnings back Kevin Smith are among those who have signed contracts with LSU, according to ESPN.
Several of those who are headed to Baton Rouge reportedly do not want to bail on Ole Miss with the team now two wins away from a title.
“There are going to be some fireworks,” one Ole Miss source told ESPN. “We always knew this might be a possibility.”
Weis was the only assistant to fly with the team back to Oxford, Miss., after Thursday’s win at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, and ESPN reported that he’s expected to stay with Ole Miss for now.
Sources told ESPN that the other assistants were slated to head to Baton Rouge to help with the transfer portal and bolstering Kiffin’s first roster.
Kiffin indicated to ESPN on Friday that there won’t be any issues since a plan had been agreed upon before the CFP began.
“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,” he told ESPN.
“What an amazing night for all Ole Miss players, coaches and fans.”
There would not have been any drama with this timeline had Ole Miss lost to Georgia as expected Thursday night, yet the Rebels shocked their fellow SEC school, 39-34, on a last-second field goal.
Ole Miss now has a date wit the Hurricanes and a potential finals matchup against the winner of Friday’s No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon contest.
Kiffin had lobbied to stay with Ole Miss during this run, but the Rebels denied him that chance since he had opted to leave for a rival program.
Pete Golding has served as the team’s coach and led the Rebels to two CFP wins.
Beyond the four aforementioned assistants, Kiffin also is bringing senior analyst/pass game specialist Dane Stevens and graduate assistant Sawyer Jordan.
There had been chatter that Kiffin would attend Thursday’s game, but he ultimately skipped the game to watch the No. 5 LSU women basketball’s team home loss to No. 12 Kentucky.
Ole Miss senior defensive tackle Zxavian Harris did not appreciate his former coach’s actions, calling Kiffin’s departure a “slap in the face.”.
“Yeah, he was just trying to steal our shine,” Harris said, per ESPN. “That’s all he’s trying to do. That’s all he’s been trying to do is steal our shine.”
He added on Kiffin leaving the school: “Like a slap and a backhand. He was trying to be a troll. We’re going to troll him. We got something for him.”
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