Lane Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to LSU has created a mess. The Rebels have done better in the College Football Playoff than anyone expected. They beat Tulane in the first round, then came back to defeat Georgia in the quarterfinal. Now they’re heading to the Fiesta Bowl semifinal against Miami.
Before the playoff started, Kiffin said six Ole Miss coaches could stay with the team through their postseason games. These coaches were supposed to join him at LSU afterward. After Ole Miss beat Georgia, questions arose about which coaches would stay for the semifinal. The college football transfer portal had just opened, and Kiffin’s new LSU staff needed to focus on building their roster.
It turns out offensive play-caller Charlie Weis Jr. will coach in the semifinal. However, two coaches won’t be there. Receivers coach George McDonald and tight ends coach Joe Cox must leave to work at LSU instead. According to Sports Illustrated, former national championship coach Jimbo Fisher strongly criticized Kiffin’s decision.
Operation Sports App
Your ultimate companion for sports gaming. Access in-depth coverage, thoughtful discussion, and a community built around the games—and sports—you love.
Your ultimate sports gaming companion.
Jimbo Fisher believes Kiffin is hurting his former players
Fisher believes Kiffin expected Ole Miss to lose to Georgia. He thought the transfer portal period would be over by then, making it easy to let coaches return without any issues. Fisher said Kiffin wanted to look like a hero but ended up with egg on his face when Ole Miss actually won. This situation mirrors how teams use departures as scapegoats to cover deeper organizational problems.
“It’s selfish. It’s stupid,” Fisher said. “That’s what it is. It’s stupid. And because here’s why I say that. He wanted to coach [Ole Miss] and thought he didn’t get his way. ‘Everybody get on the plane with me, or you don’t have a job.’ All right? And he makes them all go. Then he gets down there and takes a P.R. hit, because it looks bad that you really don’t care about the kids. Then he says, ‘Okay, you can go back. But here’s where he screwed up.”
According to Fisher, if the coaches were allowed to coach the first playoff game, they should coach all of them. He emphasized that these players get one chance in their lives to do something special like this. This playoff run is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the team.
Fisher acknowledged that coaches sometimes leave jobs, and that’s understandable. But he said if Kiffin decided the coaches couldn’t return from the start, that would be fine. The problem is changing the rules halfway through. Fisher stated that as a coach, this decision hurts the kids. Sports controversies involving prominent figures often spark heated debates in the sports community.
Fisher made it clear he’s upset about the situation. He said you can’t set rules for the game and then change them in the middle. The Ole Miss players deserve to have their full coaching staff for this historic playoff run.
Published: Jan 8, 2026 03:15 pm