Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter shares wild message after Georgia win that could impact Rebels playoff run significantly

There was obviously some significant drama between Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels' program over the last couple months, including some perceived bad blood on the way out. Kiffin tried to play the victim, claiming that Ole Miss athletic director and others would not allow him to coach the Rebels in the playoff if he was going to indeed leave for the LSU Tigers. The coaches that Kiffin was planning to bring with him to Baton Rouge, however, were allowed to stay — including Charlie Weis Jr., the Rebels' offensive coordinator.

Unfortunately, now it seems that there may be some chance those staff may be asked or perhaps even forced to leave, not finishing the playoff run with the Ole Miss Rebels. Would Lane Kiffin or the university actually try and do such an outrageous thing? Will the staff actually comply with any such demands to leave the program two games away from a national championship?

It's still too early to tell whether the most ridiculous staff abandonment in history is going to continue (Lane's departure was already ridiculous), but hopefully common sense prevails. Yes, the Rebels have done just fine with the drastic coaching changes already. They may be just fine, but losing an offensive coordinator and more with little prep time is certainly not ideal. Still, no one should be asked or forced to leave two games away from a championship. No matter what the circumstances elsewhere. Period.

We’ll be back with more on this as details are revealed, plus plenty more Ole Miss Rebels coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.