Pete Golding identifies which LSU-bound assistants will coach Ole Miss in Fiesta Bowl

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GLENDALE, AZ — Ole Miss football coach Pete Golding is tired of answering questions about which of his LSU-bound staff members will and will not be at the Fiesta Bowl.

No. 6 Ole Miss (13-1) will face No. 10 Miami (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 (6:30 p.m., ESPN). The winner will advance to the national championship game Jan. 19 against either Indiana or Oregon.

Golding’s staff has been in flux since taking over after coach Lane Kiffin left for LSU on Nov. 30. Which of his five top assistants who will follow Kiffin to LSU have remained with the Rebels through the Fiesta Bowl?

“John Garrison, our offensive line coach that we’ve had all year,” Golding said. “We have our running backs coach Kevin Smith, that we’ve had all year. We have our offensive coordinator (Charlie Weis Jr.) who calls the plays here. He’s been here all year.”

Tight ends coach Joe Cox and wide receivers coach George McDonald will not be with Ole Miss for the Fiesta Bowl, according to Golding. He defended them, saying he knows they wanted to be at the game, but they have left for LSU.

“That’s been something that has been coming the whole time,” Golding said. “There has been constant communication. They have another job that is paying them. They have a responsibility.”

There is transition on the Ole Miss roster as well. The transfer portal opened Jan. 2, and backup quarterback Austin Simmons is the most notable Rebels to enter it, reportedly signing with Missouri.

Beating the Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl will require an all-hands-on-deck effort. Quarterbacks coach Joe Judge confirmed that Simmons traveled and will be available for the game.

Golding was asked if he had a message for Kiffin, or any people who gave up on Ole Miss when Kiffin departed after the Egg Bowl.

“I don’t have a message for anybody else,” Golding said. “I think our team had a message. They had a message by how they prepare and how they play. And that they weren’t tired of playing. I think the message is that I’m replaceable, you are replaceable, our players are replaceable. I think you want to build a program to where it’s heading in the right direction and one person or one player is not going to derail that.”

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Which Ole Miss assistants headed to LSU will coach in Fiesta Bowl?

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