what happened to ole miss head coach

Ole Miss’ previous head coach, Lane Kiffin, left the program after the 2025 regular season to become the new head coach at LSU, and defensive coordinator Pete Golding was immediately promoted to be the new Ole Miss head coach.

What happened to the Ole Miss head coach?

• Lane Kiffin accepted the LSU head coaching job on November 30, 2025, leaving Ole Miss while the Rebels were in the middle of a College Football Playoff run.

• Ole Miss quickly elevated defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach, and he has since led the team in the CFP, including wins over Tulane and Georgia.

• Even though Kiffin is now at LSU, his previous contract means he is still earning bonuses tied to Ole Miss’ CFP performance, reportedly totaling around 500,000 dollars so far.

Current situation at Ole Miss

• Pete Golding is now the head coach of Ole Miss and has started his tenure 2–0, both wins coming in College Football Playoff games.

• The team is preparing for a CFP semifinal against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl under Golding’s leadership.

Why this is trending

• The timing of Kiffin’s departure—leaving for LSU during a playoff run—has been widely described as “abrupt” and has drawn strong reactions from players and fans.

• Ole Miss continuing to win in the CFP without Kiffin has fueled a lot of forum and social media chatter, with some commentary suggesting the Rebels are making their former coach “look worse” by thriving after he left.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.