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The Ole Miss football season will continue after a Sugar Bowl win over the Georgia Bulldogs. The Rebels will next face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
There was some confusion as to whether certain assistant coaches would stick it out through the playoff run. Kevin Smith, the Rebels‘ current running backs coach, clarified his future with a message on social media.
Ole Miss finds itself in uncharted territory this postseason. Head coach Lane Kiffin bolted for LSU after the regular season finale. He took with him many of his offensive assistants.
Despite signing deals to coach for the Tigers next year, many of those coaches returned to Oxford to help the Rebels in their pursuit of a championship before assuming new roles.
Smith, along with coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., QB coach Dane Stevens, slot receivers coach Sawyer Jordan, wide receivers coach George McDonald, and tight ends coach Joe Cox, pulled double duty to lead the offense in the first two playoff wins.
A recent report suggested most had bailed for Baton Rouge ahead of the Fiesta Bowl.
Will Kevin Smith coach Ole Miss in its next football game?
I’m told running backs coach Kevin Smith won’t return to Ole Miss for rest of playoff run. Charlie Weis is back in Oxford and it’s likely he’s the only one of the main LSU assistants to continue with Rebs in CFP.
— Chase Parham (@ChaseParham) January 3, 2026
Chase Parham of 247 Sports stated after the Rebels’ win over Georgia that only Weis would return for the next matchup vs. Miami. All other offensive assistants would turn their attention to the 2026 LSU Tigers.
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding did little to clarify the speculation, saying that it was ultimately Lane Kiffin’s decision as to whether his coaching staff would stay intact.
“They have every opportunity like they have up to this point to be able to make that decision. So, week in and week out, I don’t dictate whether they do that or not because they’re not employed by me…
“We don’t know. We’ve got plenty of people in this building who showed up this morning. We’ll be just fine.”
-Pete Golding / Fiesta Bowl teleconference
Kevin Smith refuted those claims. He fully intends to be back on the sidelines with Ole Miss for the next game.
“I’m going to finish the job!”
Charlie Weis Jr. and Kevin Smith were both at Ole Miss practice today. Source? My eyes.
— Michael Katz (@MichaelLKatz) January 4, 2026
Smith told Chris Low of On3 Sports that he would be back for the Fiesta Bowl and a potential national championship. He has returned to Oxford for practice.
The running backs coach blasted those false rumors of abandonment with a cryptic social media post.
— Kevin Smith (@KevinSmithRB) January 5, 2026
That may be good news for Lane Kiffin. While it certainly hampers Smith’s ability to do his job at LSU during a busy recruiting season, his return gives Ole Miss the best chance to win football games.
His running backs, particularly starter Kewan Lacy, have played integral roles in the Rebels first two playoff wins. Across two games, Lacy’s totaled 185 rushing yards and three scores.
Keeping the continuity on staff is a plus for the Rebels. It should only keep the offense humming with a matchup vs. Miami looming.
Kiffin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries thus far. Despite no longer being associated with the school, he cashes a bonus every time Ole Miss wins a postseason contest. LSU wrote it into his contract in order to lure him away from Oxford.
To this point, he’s earned $500,000 for Ole Miss’s playoff success. He can cash $1 million with a national title.
Kevin Smith has played a role in helping Kiffin bank those paychecks. He’ll stay in Oxford to potentially double his head coach’s postseason earnings in January.