It was reported on Dec. 16 that Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding was set to hire LSU interim head coach Frank Wilson to his inaugural staff in Oxford. The move will officially take place after the Tigers’ bowl game, which will mark Wilson’s fifth and final game in charge of the program after head coach Brian Kelly was fired on Oct. 26.

Per On3’s Pete Nakos, Wilson is set to be Ole Miss’ running backs coach. Prior to his promotion to interim head coach, Wilson served as LSU‘s associate head coach/running backs coach. Instead of remaining on staff to work under former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, he will now go join the program Kiffin departed prior to its College Football Playoff run.

Ahead of LSU‘s clash against No. 21 Houston in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 27, Wilson was asked if the opportunity to remain in Baton Rouge on Kiffin’s staff was ever a possibility.

“We talked about it,” Wilson revealed. “We talked about ways that it could work out. Coach Kiffin was absolutely awesome the entire time in wanting to try and find a way to work it out. We didn’t come to that resolution, and so there were other opportunities out there.”

“Pete Golding is a guy who I’ve known for many years, from the time he concluded playing college football and was a young coach at Delta State Southeastern and then Southern Miss of course. Then, I had an opportunity to hire him back at UTSA. We’ve forged an even closer bond and mutual respect professional for one another, so when the opportunity came, he extended himself to me and I thought it was a great fit for myself and my family.”

Frank Wilson will return to Ole Miss, where he coached from 2005-07

Wilson’s return to Ole Miss marks another chapter in its reignited rivalry with LSU. He’s a key hire for Golding as he takes over for Kiffin, who will make his return to Oxford quickly in 2026. The Rebels and Tigers will square off in Week 3 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium – what’s sure to be one of the most anticipated games of the year.

“We just couldn’t come to a conclusion, but all those things were on the table,” Wilson continued. “We had options on the table. Coach was awesome and I have no qualms with Coach Kiffin. He’s going to do an outstanding job. He’s assembled a great staff. He’ll do fantastic.”

A New Orleans native, Wilson played college football at Nicholls State and served a student assistant in 1996. He then coached at the charter school level at Edna Kerr and O.P. Walker in Louisiana before joining the Ole Miss staff in 2005. In 2008, he took over as the running backs coach at Southern Miss and worked alongside Lane Kiffin in 2009 as the wide receivers coach at Tennessee.

From 2010-15, Wilson served as LSU’s assistant head coach and running backs coach, as well as recruiting coordinator, until UTSA came calling. As a whole, between UTSA and McNeese, he had a 26-40 overall record as a head coach.

LSU went 2-2 to end the 2025 regular season with Wilson at the helm. His tenure as the interim head coach will end following Saturday’s Texas Bowl, which is slated to kick off at 9:15 PM ET on ESPN.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this article.