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Which new LSU assistant coaches are not with Ole Miss at Fiesta Bowl?
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- Which new LSU assistant coaches are not with Ole Miss at Fiesta Bowl?
Mississippi football will have another set of changes to its coaching staff for the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl.
According to Sam Hutchens of the Clarion Ledger — part of the USA TODAY Network — Ole Miss coach Pete Golding told reporters at the Fiesta Bowl on Wednesday, Jan. 7 that two members of the Rebels' staff who are following Lane Kiffin to LSU will not be coaching in Thursday's national semifinal against Miami.
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The two assistant coaches who are staying in Baton Rouge with the Tigers are tight ends coach Joe Cox and wide receivers coach George McDonald.
REQUIRED READING: Fiesta Bowl Ole Miss vs. Miami beat writers' prediction, keys to game
Golding mentioned that both Cox and McDonald wanted to remain with Rebels, but their duties are required at LSU with Kiffin, with the transfer portal window open. The transfer portal period opened on Friday, Jan. 2 and runs through Friday, Jan. 16, with an extra five-day window (Jan. 20-24) for teams playing in the national championship.
"That's been something that has been coming the whole time," Golding said during a Fiesta Bowl availability on Jan. 7. "There has been constant communication. They have another job that is paying them. They have a responsibility."
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Golding will still have several staffers who are leaving for LSU in Ole Miss' game against Miami, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., offensive line coach John Garrison and running backs coach Kevin Smith. USA TODAY Sports' Matt Hayes confirmed on Sunday, Jan. 4 that Weis Jr. would be coaching in the Fiesta Bowl.
Here's what to know about both Cox and McDonald, as Ole Miss continues to prepare for the Fiesta Bowl:
Who is Joe Cox?
Cox was in his second season serving as the Rebels' tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator with Weis Jr. on Kiffin's staff at Ole Miss. He was hired by Kiffin ahead of the 2024 season after working under Nick Saban at Alabama for two seasons.
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A former quarterback, Cox played college football at Georgia from 2006 through 2006. In his lone season as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback in 2009, Cox completed 185-of-331 passes for 2,584 yards and 24 touchdowns. He led the Bulldogs to an 8-5 record in 2009, which included a win over Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl.
He landed his first college coaching job at Colorado State, where he helped the Rams to two of the top five scoring seasons in school history in 2016 (ranked third at 35.3 points per game) and 2017 (ranked fifth at 33.4 points per game).
LSU will mark the fourth SEC program that Cox will be an assistant coach at, as he has made stops at South Carolina and Alabama before Mississippi. He'll keep the same job titles on Kiffin's staff at LSU, as he is listed as the Tigers' co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach on his LSU profile page.
Who is George McDonald?
Similar to Cox, McDonald was hired by Kiffin ahead of the 2024 season away from Illinois to be the Rebels' passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.
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While Kiffin and Weis Jr. were the recognized faces behind the Ole Miss offense, McDonald helped the Rebels' offense post program records for passing yards (4,561 yards) and passing yards per game (350.8 yards) in 2024. Ole Miss' passing offense also led all Division I FBS programs in passing efficiency (176.6) last season.
This season, Ole Miss' passing game led the SEC in passing yards per game (315.9 yards) and ranks second in the nation for passing offense (4,423 yards) and 14th in team passing efficiency (156.0).
A former collegiate wide receiver, McDonald played in the Big Ten at Illinois, where he finished with 57 career receptions for 589 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He led the Big Ten in kickoff return yardage in 1996 at 736 yards.
He started his coaching career at Ball State as a graduate assistant before landing his first assistant coaching job at Northern Illinois. He then split time at Stanford, Minnesota and Western Kentucky before making the jump over to the NFL and the Cleveland Browns for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Following his stint with the Browns, McDonald returned to the college ranks at Syracuse, NC State and Illinois before coming to Ole Miss.
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At Western Michigan, McDonald coached Biletnikoff Award semifinalist Greg Jennings , who racked up 1,259 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2005. He also coached Jakobi Meyers at NC State, where he finished with 1,047 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns on 92 receptions in 2018.
LSU will be the second SEC program that McDonald will be an assistant coach at. He'll also keep the same job titles on Kiffin's staff at LSU, as he is listed as the Tigers' passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach on his LSU profile page.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which new LSU assistant coaches are not with Ole Miss at Fiesta Bowl?
