First Look: Ole Miss to name Charlie Weis Jr. offensive coordinator

Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin are set to hire South Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. to the same role with the Rebels, sources confirm to RebelGrove.com. Matt Zenith of On3 was the first to report.

Weis replaces Jeff Lebby, who left the Rebels for the offensive coordinator job at Oklahoma. Weis was with Kiffin at Florida Atlantic in 2018 and 2019. At the time, Weis was 24 years old and the youngest coordinator in college football.

Here are some quick thoughts on Weis and his new job with the Rebels.

Familiarity is the main link between Kiffin and Weis, as the two spent the two seasons together in Boca Raton, Fla. The two know what to expect, and that should lead to an easy partnership with play-calling and day-to-day control with the offense.

Kiffin's management style isn't hyper-organized, which lends to some coaches being great fits and others wanting more day-to-day structure. The history between the two takes away that barrier that could be an issue with coordinators and assistant coaches. They both signed up for it a second time.

Weis was also an offensive analyst under Kiffin and Nick Saban at Alabama for two seasons. Weis impressed the Alabama staff with his schematic knowledge, and obviously Kiffin remembered him moving forward.

Kiffin initially hired him as the tight ends coach on his first FAU staff, but Weis left for the Atlanta Falcons as an offensive coach for the 2017 season.

The tenure as coordinator at USF was a struggle, as the Bulls had the third-worst offense in the AAC both seasons. Weis was making $350,000 annually in Tampa.

Kiffin handled the majority of the play-calling at times during Weis' tenure at FAU, and it's unknown what that split will be in Oxford. But whether it's Weis' show to run or not, coaching quarterbacks and recruiting will be two of the main factors that will determine his success.

Weis has been an on-field assistant since 2018, leading to limited experience as a recruiter including none at the Power-Five level. That part of his skillset is to be determined, but he will obviously have a hand in helping lure a transfer quarterback to the roster immediately and in trying to persuade 2023 five-star quarterback Arch Manning.

Known more for what he's able to do on the board and with gameplans, Weis won't be allowed a long learning curve to assist in a critical juncture for the Ole Miss quarterback room.

Ole Miss isn't expected to overhaul its scheme in the transition from Lebby to Weis, with many of the principles part of Kiffin's thinking and program staples. However, Kiffin is known to adapt to his talent and feature whichever positions can help him get the ball to playmakers in space.

When Weis was with him at FAU, they showed that ability, trending toward wherever the weapons were in the two seasons.

In 2018, FAU's offense ranked 14th nationally in total offense and 13th in rushing as the Owls highlighted running back Devin Singletary, who finished 11th nationally in rushing yards (1,348) and yards per game and second with 22 rushing touchdowns.

A year later, FAU was 14th in scoring offense, and quarterback Chris Robinson was sixth nationally with 3,700 yards passing, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions. Tight end Harrison Bryant had more than 1,000 yards receiving and won the Mackey Award.

At South Florida this season, the Bulls were No. 102 nationally in total offense, averaging 351 yards per game. The Bulls were No. 100 in scoring offense, putting 23.2 points per game on the scoreboard.