Frank Wilson is heading back to familiar ground - and reuniting with a familiar face.
The LSU interim head coach and longtime running backs coach is expected to join Pete Golding’s staff at Ole Miss after LSU wraps up its season in the Texas Bowl against Houston on December 27. That’s according to multiple reports, and Wilson has already informed LSU players and staff of his plans.
For Wilson, this move is both a homecoming and a reunion.
Oxford isn’t new territory for the veteran coach. He was part of the Ole Miss staff from 2005 to 2007, coaching running backs and special teams under Ed Orgeron.
Now, nearly two decades later, he returns to the Rebels - this time alongside Pete Golding, who has his own history with Wilson. The two worked together at UTSA in 2016 and 2017, when Golding served as Wilson’s defensive coordinator.
That partnership helped lay the foundation for Golding’s rise to Alabama, and now they’ll link up again in the SEC.
Wilson’s departure from LSU comes after a rollercoaster stint as interim head coach. He stepped in late in the season and went 2-2 at the helm. The Tigers fell to Alabama in his debut, then bounced back with wins over Arkansas and Western Kentucky before closing the regular season with a loss to Oklahoma.
But Wilson’s impact at LSU goes well beyond that short interim run.
He’s been a key figure in the program across multiple eras. From 2010 to 2015, he served as LSU’s associate head coach, running backs coach, and recruiting coordinator - a stretch that saw the Tigers consistently bring in elite talent and produce NFL-ready backs. After head coaching stints at UTSA and McNeese State, Wilson returned to Baton Rouge in a familiar role, once again taking charge of the running back room and helping guide the program through a transitional phase.
Inside the building, Wilson has long been respected for his leadership, recruiting acumen, and ability to connect with players. His departure marks the end of another chapter in his LSU journey, but also the start of a new one in Oxford - where he’ll now help shape the next phase of Ole Miss football under Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding.
For LSU, the Texas Bowl will be Wilson’s final game on the sideline. After that, it’s back to the SEC grind - just in a different shade of red and blue.