Ole Miss expected to hire familiar coaching legacy as next offensive coordinator

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has reportedly found a replacement for departed offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, per Matt Zenitz of On3.

Charlie Weis Jr. is expected to be the new offensive coordinator for the Rebels. The 28 year old has been in his current position as offensive coordinator at USF since 2020 and previously worked with Kiffin in the same capacity at FAU. Additionally, Weis spent two years as an offensive analyst at Alabama while Kiffin was the offensive coordinator in Tuscaloosa. Alabama won a national title in the 2015 season.

The Bulls averaged 23.1 points and 350.6 yards per game this season. They finished 2-10. While at FAU, the Owls led C-USA in total offense in both 2018 and 2019, averaging nearly 500 yards per game.

Weis Jr. has been coaching since he was 18 years old, but he has spent most of his life on the sidelines of football games. The elder Charlie Weis served as the Notre Dame head coach from 2005-2009 and the Kansas head coach from 2012-2014. He was also the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2000-2004.

Weis has big shoes to fill in Oxford

The young, innovative offensive coordinator is stepping in to lead what has been one of the nation’s most high-octane offenses. Of course, Kiffin himself is an offensive mastermind, so Weis has already spent time learning from one of the best.

Ole Miss is currently fourth in the nation in total offense with 506.7 yards per game, and they posted 35.9 points per contest. Largely a model of offensive consistency since Kiffin arrived in 2020, they posted 555.5 yards and 39.2 points per game last year.

One negative for Weis: Rebels quarterback Matt Corral is headed to the NFL after another standout season. He finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting this year and even earned 10 first-place votes. Weis will be tasked will helping to replicate his production with a new signal caller next season.

Ole Miss has one final game: the Sugar Bowl against Baylor on Jan. 1. Lebby will coach in the contest before heading to take over the offense at Oklahoma under new head coach Brent Venables.

The Sugar Bowl kicks off from New Orleans in primetime on New Year’s Day. The matchup pits Kiffin and Lebby’s high-powered offense against defensive guru and Baylor head coach Dave Aranda. The Rebels are a 1.5-point favorite as of Dec. 29, and they are seeking their first 11-win season in school history.