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Two key Ole Miss assistants set to follow former head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU have reportedly been approved to continue coaching in the College Football Playoff for Thursday's (January 8) Vrbo Fiesta Bowl semifinal against Miami.
Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and running backs coach Kevin Smith, reportedly flew to Baton Rouge for recruiting visits on Monday (January 5) before returning to Oxford later that night, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Mark Schalbach and Heather Dinich. The Rebels are scheduled to fly to Scottsdale on Tuesday (January 6) ahead of the Fiesta Bowl, the biggest game in the football program's history.
"Our main focus is on winning this game," Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter told ESPN. "Charlie has been awesome, juggling two high-profile jobs. He's been incredible. We have no complaints."
The statuses of Weis, Smith, tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox and wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator George McDonald were reported to be in flux last Friday (January 2), hours after the Rebels' win against Georgia. Cox and McDonald aren't expected to return to the Rebels despite coaching in their first two playoff games.
"They have every opportunity like they have up to this point to be able to make that decision," said Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who was promoted full-time from defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach following Kiffin's departure. "So week in and week out, I don't dictate whether they do that or not, because they're not employed by me. Up to this point, that's how it's been, and that's my expectation."