LSU Interim Head Football Coach Frank Wilson will coach the Tigers in their bowl game, and then he’ll leave for an SEC rival.
CBS Sports is reporting Wilson will depart his home state to be the running backs coach at Ole Miss. Wilson reportedly informed the team of his decision on Tuesday.
Wilson has been the Tigers running backs coach since 2022. He’s also had the title of associate head coach and became the interim head coach of the Tigers when Brian Kelly was fired in late October.
The Tigers are 2-2 with Wilson as the interim head coach and the New Orleans native expressed interest in wanting to be part of the new coaching staff when speaking with reporters following the regular season finale.
But when asked earlier this month about being part of Lane Kiffin’s staff, he said those discussions would take place following the bowl game on December 27th.
This will be Wilson’s second stint with Ole Miss as he served as the running backs coach for the Rebels when Ed Orgeron was the head coach there. He also has a relationship with new Ole Miss head coach Pete Goulding. Goulding was the defensive coordinator of the Roadrunners when Wilson was the head coach at UTSA.
Wilson has built a reputation as a great recruiter. He’s shown to have an instant connection with the top football players in the New Orleans area. During his first stint at LSU, he recruited Leonard Fournette, Tyrann Mathieu, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Junior.
Wilson also receives credit for making sure the nation’s number one running back in the Class of 2025, Harlem Berry from St. Martin’s High School in Metairie, came to LSU.
With Wilson leaving, it’s expected that Kiffin will hire his running backs coach at Ole Miss Kevin Smith.
Wilson is highly respected by high school coaches in the New Orleans area. He is a former assistant at Edna Karr and a former head coach at O.P. Walker. It is the connections he’s formed in New Orleans that allows him to recruit so well in southeast Louisiana.
But one of the reasons why Kiffin took the LSU job is that the resources are in place at LSU to make sure the players are compensated well.
Is the dollar sign more powerful than relationships when it comes to recruiting? Kiffin believes so.


