As No. 6 Ole Miss prepares to compete in the Fiesta Bowl, designated as the first semifinal in the College Football Playoff, the team will be playing its fourth consecutive game with a coaching staff undergoing transitions. This follows an 11-1 regular season that secured a College Football Playoff berth for the Rebels.
Coaching Changes Overview
On November 28, Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State 38-19 in the Egg Bowl. Two days later, head coach Lane Kiffin announced his departure from Ole Miss to assume the head coach position at LSU. Kiffin subsequently hired six assistants from Ole Miss to join him at LSU. Ole Miss denied Kiffin's request to coach the team through the end of the season. However, assistant coaches who chose to remain with Ole Miss were permitted to do so, resulting in some coaches on the sidelines for the team's initial playoff victories being technically employed by LSU.
Pete Golding, who served as the team's defensive coordinator under Kiffin, was appointed as the full-time head coach. At a Fiesta Bowl news conference on Wednesday, Golding addressed the staff departures, stating, "You want to build a program to where it’s heading in the right direction, and one person, one player, is not going to derail that. There’s been too much investment in that, and it’s been aligned correctly that one person is not going to impact something so drastically. If it is, it’s probably not built right."
Postseason Performance
Following Kiffin's decision and during the ongoing coaching transitions, Ole Miss achieved two postseason victories. The team defeated Tulane 41-10 in the first round. In the quarterfinal, Ole Miss overcame a 21-12 deficit against Georgia, outscoring them 20-10 in the fourth quarter to secure a 39-34 win. This victory against Georgia contrasted with their regular-season encounter in October, where Ole Miss, then under Kiffin, lost 43-35 after being outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter.
Fiesta Bowl Matchup and Further Departures
In the semifinal, Ole Miss will face No. 10 Miami. Miami achieved victories against No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 2 Ohio State in previous playoff rounds, becoming the only team among the four remaining to defeat two Power Four opponents in the playoffs. The Rebels will also experience additional coaching staff changes for the Fiesta Bowl. According to Coach Golding, tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox, receivers coach/passing game coordinator George McDonald, and offensive assistants Dane Stevens and Sawyer Jordan will not participate in the game. However, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and running backs coach Kevin Smith, both of whom have accepted positions with Kiffin at LSU, will remain with Ole Miss for this game.
Golding reiterated his stance on the coaching situation, asserting it will not serve as a justification for the team's performance. He stated at a Saturday news conference, "That will not be any reason for our success or lack of success within this game. The play callers haven’t changed. There’s people in every room. Our players know what to do. It’s going to have no impact on the game." He also added, "We’ve got a lot of coaches here. That’s the one thing about Division I football. This building is filled with guys that have been elite coaches everywhere they’ve been."