Mississippi didn’t want to let coach Lane Kiffin stick around for the College Football Playoff. However, Ole Miss has decided to let its old offensive coordinator finish the job.
Via Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com, Mississippi will allow Charlie Weis Jr. to return for the playoff game(s) — and LSU coach Lane Kiffin is allowing it.
“With the playoff committee releasing updated rankings tonight, I wanted it to be known that after conversations with LSU, we are allowing Charlie to return to Ole Miss to coach the team during the playoffs,” Kiffin said in a statement. “I’ve already made the committee aware of this and I’m hopeful this decision will allow Ole Miss to receive the highest ranking possible because these great players are very deserving of that. I’m excited that Charlie will be back to help coach the greatest team in the history of Ole Miss.”
Kiffin had a clear incentive to boost the Ole Miss playoff standing, because LSU will be paying the bonuses Kiffin would have received from Ole Miss for playoff success. Mississippi had an incentive to allow it, because the school didn’t want to get dinged by the playoff committee for having a coaching staff in flux and chaos.
It’s still odd that Ole Miss allowed it. They didn’t want Kiffin to stay because it would give him access to players who can easily transfer. Now, Kiffin’s offensive coordinator will have that same access.
Likewise, anything the Mississippi offense does well will be free advertising for what the LSU offense could do, starting in 2026.
It sounds as if Ole Miss chose the lesser of two evils. And, at a time when Mississippi fans regard Kiffin as evil, there’s one less reason for them to hate him, even if he allowed Weis to return not for the good of the Rebels but for his own potential profit — whether by earning present bonuses or closing the deal on future transfers.
