Following Lane Kiffin’s departure from Ole Miss Football, along with several of the offensive staff to LSU, the Rebels are bringing back one of their own to serve as offensive coordinator. John David Baker will be rejoining the Ole Miss coaching staff from East Carolina.
Baker will replace Charlie Weis Jr. as offensive coordinator for Ole Miss following the completion of the college football playoffs. Weis, the original offensive coordinator for Ole Miss, will continue to coach the Rebels in the playoffs despite already taking a job at LSU with Kiffin.
Baker served as passing game coordinator, tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator for Ole Miss from 2021-2023. The former offensive coordinator at East Carolina brings a wealth of experience on the offensive side of the ball. His past stint with the Rebels will help him to provide stability in a time of coaching upheaval and continue the offensive success the program has already achieved.
During his time at Ole Miss, he helped conduct the No. 6, No. 8 and No. 12 best offenses nationally. He also had significant success at ECU. Over the past two years at East Carolina, Baker led the Pirates to two consecutive top 25 offensive finishes. This season, his quarterback Katin Houser finished No. 12 in the nation with 3,300 passing yards.
Baker’s passing game has consistently ranked among the best in the nation. His offense is multidimensional. East Carolina featured a top 50 and top 40 rushing attack the past two seasons, respectively.
The Pirates went 8-4 this season. However, two of those losses came from games against Tulane, the American Conference champion and eventual playoff team, and BYU, who competed in the Big 12 championship game and barely missed out on the playoffs.
While new Rebel head coach Pete Golding has been a savant at recruiting the past few years, Baker has shown success in the recruiting business, as well. As tight ends coach, he helped bring in 3-star tight ends Lake McRee to USC, Dillon Hipp and Kyirin Heath to Ole Miss, along with 4-star Michael Trigg.
Baker coached Trigg at USC and Ole Miss. After transferring to Baylor when Baker left Ole Miss, Trigg has now become one of the best tight ends in the nation this season with 50 receptions, six touchdowns and almost 700 receiving yards.
Leading the offensive unit, Baker will help continue Ole Miss’ success entering next season. With the coaching disruption and murky future, Baker’s presence should help provide clarity to both fans and players alike.
