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The Impact: Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Football Lose Pair of Key Staff Members to New Gigs

Originally posted on Ole Miss Rebels on SI  |  By Zack Nagy  |  Last updated Jul 8, 2025 5:23 PM ET

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels will have holes to fill on the staff in Oxford with a pair of key staffers set to depart the program this month.

After navigating the NCAA Transfer Portal, Spring Camp and summer workouts this offseason, Kiffin and Co. will now begin a search to fill two positions in the personnel department.

Ole Miss saw the program's Director of Recruiting Strategy accept a role with the LSU Tigers on Monday after news broke of Kelvin Bolden's departure.

Who else is departing the Magnolia State? What's the status of Kiffin's staff?

The Impact: Pair of Ole Miss Staffers Depart Oxford

No. 1: Kelvin Bolden - Director of Recruiting Strategy

Ole Miss Rebels Director of Recruiting Strategy Kelvin Bolden is set to depart Oxford for a position on Brian Kelly's LSU Tigers staff, a source confirmed to Ole Miss Rebels On SI.

247Sports first reported LSU's interest in Bolden as a key target in the search.

Bolden will make his way to Baton Rouge to serve as the LSU Tigers' Assistant General Manager where he will reunite with Austin Thomas.

LSU's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Football Administration, Austin Thomas, has developed a relationship with Bolden across the last few years.

Thomas initially helped bring Bolden to Ole Miss in 2022 during his two seasons as the Rebels' Football Chief of Staff and Sport Administrator.

It's a critical loss for Ole Miss with Bolden serving as a key recruiting resource for the program during his stint in Oxford.

In February, On3 Sports labeled the Magnolia State native as one of college football’s ‘off-field recruiting stars’ of the 2025 cycle.

“Coordinator of Recruiting Strategy Kelvin Bolden is one of the SEC’s best relationship guys. The Rebels signed On3’s No. 19 class.”

The Perkinston High (Miss.) graduate has paved his way as a critical component of Kiffin's staff after handling business in Mississippi with his ability to development relationships.

Prior to making his way to join the Ole Miss program as a staffer, Bolden suited up Southern Miss after a stint at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

With the Golden Eagles, he logged 104 career catches for 1,393 yards and 13 touchdowns in Hattiesburg.

No. 2: Alex Brown - Director of Player Personnel

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Ole Miss Director of Player Personnel Alex Brown will be leaving Oxford to join the Atlanta Falcons' scouting department.

Brown arrived in the Magnolia State in 2024 where he made an instant impact on the Ole Miss coaching staff.

After one season with the Rebels, Brown immediately received interest from NFL organizations with the Atlanta Falcons ultimately pulling the trigger.

Prior to his time with Ole Miss, Brown served as the SMU Mustangs as the Director of Scouting before being promoted to General Manager.

“So it’s about getting our staff trained up and getting their eyes right. So I take a lot of pride in how we onboard, like the new interns that we bring on, the student interns that we bring on, and then our scouting staff in general,” Brown said of his approach before he left SMU for Ole Miss.

“And even on the recruiting side, like Tyler Foster does a lot on the evaluating side because he’s done so much of that at his previous schools. So it’s more about training up the eyes of the people that work with you and creating those filters at each position.”

Now, Ole Miss has lost both Brown and Director of Recruiting Strategy, Kelvin Bolden, across a 24-hour period.

This article first appeared on Ole Miss Rebels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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