Lane Kiffin may have walked out the door, but his shadow still haunts Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels. By January, the former head coach had already lured eight staffers to Baton Rouge. Now whispers are swirling that another of Golding’s staffer might jump ship to follow Kiffin to LSU.

“NEW: Ole Miss Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach Jordan Sims is joining Nick Savage on the LSU staff, source confirms,” reported Locked on LSU analyst Matt Moscona on January 17.

Jordan Sims, the prized offensive guard at Ole Miss and spring 2014’s Most Improved Offensive Player, now finds himself in the middle of the ongoing Golding-Kiffin tug-of-war. 

The coaching shakeup news at Golding’s Ole Miss came a day after the Nebraska Huskers officially hired Corey Brown as their defensive line coach.

Kiffin has been the Pied Piper and might have felt a void at LSU without Nick Savage, his head strength coach back at Ole Miss. The staffer is rich in SEC experience, having coached both Ole Miss and the Florida Gators. With Savage transferring to the Tigers, his assistant might be feeling like a fish out of water in Golding’s squad, his alma mater. 

Much before taking up the coaching role in Kiffin’s squad in 2022, Sims left his mark as a player. Back in 2018, as a senior, he helped power an Ole Miss offense to record-breaking numbers- 826 total yards and 517 passing yards, the SEC’s second-highest ever and tops in FBS this season. 

Against Arkansas, he came off the bench and contributed to 611 total yards. His experience extends beyond Ole Miss, having worked as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at multiple programs, including Utah State and South Carolina.

While Sims’ news is yet to get an official stamp, Golding has lost offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. However, he was there with the Rebels throughout the College Football Playoff.

Golding failed to witness the George McDonald era while holding the head coaching seat. After two seasons running the passing game and coaching wideouts, McDonald departed Ole Miss last November. Before he took an assistant role at LSU, the Rebels finished 11-1, the first 11-win regular season in school history and only the second 11-win campaign overall, following 2023’s 11-2 season.

Joe Cox joined Kiffin in Oxford in 2024 as tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator. Not content with taking coaches away, Kiffin pestered Golding by luring players from his old camp. 

Pete Golding grappled with Lane Kiffin-induced player exodus

As per On3’s 2026 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings, LSU stands at No.9 with a good balance- 36 players transferred in and 32 players transferred out. 

One of their latest additions came on January 17, right out of Golding’s Ole Miss. Linebacker TJ Dottery swapped wagons to Baton Rouge. In 2025, he led the SEC with 98 total tackles, starting every game for Ole Miss. He also recorded 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles, and will be a redshirt senior at LSU.

Golding also lost linebacker Jaden Yates, who tallied 55 tackles, to the transfer portal, eventually committing to Houston. Another major blow for the Rebels came in offensive lineman Devin Harper, who signed with LSU on January 16. Harper, a top-100 transfer portal talent with four years left, was once a top-150 recruit out of Calvary Baptist Academy.

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But Pete Golding is in no mood to brood over the loss and instead makes a bold move to fill the gaps. The Ole Miss head coach is ready to dish out a seven-figure offer to flip Clemson commit, linebacker Luke Ferrelli. The Rebels closed the portal even-handed, with 21 players leaving and 21 new transfers joining the program.