Ole Miss’ 2026 outlook took shape in a hurry this offseason, and the most important hire might be the one that hasn’t drawn much attention.
With Lane Kiffin gone before the College Football Playoff and Pete Golding elevated from defensive coordinator to permanent head coach, the Rebels also had to replace Charlie Weis Jr., who followed Kiffin to LSU. That left Ole Miss searching for a new offensive coordinator, and the program turned to someone who already knows exactly how the Rebels want to play.
John David Baker is back in Oxford, and he arrives with real expectations attached. Ole Miss hired him to steer an offense that has been among the most dangerous in college football, and the pressure is obvious: keep that machine humming after Weis helped guide it through one of the most explosive stretches in school history.
Baker’s résumé fits the job. He spent three years on the Ole Miss staff, working as tight ends coach from 2021 to 2023 and as co-offensive coordinator from 2022 to 2023.
During that span, the Rebels’ offense repeatedly ranked near the top of the program’s all-time lists, including two seasons that finished in the top five nationally for total offense. One of the biggest markers of that run came in 2022, when Ole Miss set a school record with 3,336 rushing yards.
He also brings experience from East Carolina, where he helped push the Pirates into one of the country’s more productive offenses. ECU finished 15th nationally in total offense and 31st in scoring offense, averaging 32.7 points per game.
Baker has already worked with one of the best quarterbacks in Ole Miss history, Matt Corral, and during that first season in Oxford the Rebels led the SEC in total offense at 492.5 yards per game.
Now he steps into a setup that gives him a strong starting point. Ole Miss is bringing back quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, giving the Rebels one of the top quarterback-running back duos in college football for the 2025 season.
With that kind of talent in place and some continuity on the sideline, Ole Miss has a legitimate path back to the College Football Playoff in 2026. Baker will be the one calling the shots, and that makes him one of the most important figures in the entire season.
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