How many new coaches will OU football face in 2026 after Lane Kiffin's move to LSU?

After five years leading Ole Miss, head coach Lane Kiffin is parting ways with the Rebels and moving to Baton Rouge to coach LSU.

The soap opera ended with Sunday's news that Kiffin was immediately leaving for LSU. Ole Miss is promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to head coach.

LSU is currently led by interim head coach Frank Wilson, who took over for Brian Kelly after his firing in late October.

Kiffin's trip to Norman this year was a memorable one, giving OU its first, and so far only, home loss of the season. His move from Ole Miss means three of OU's 2026 opponents could be debuting new head coaches.

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How many schools will have new coaches when they face OU football in 2026?

At the moment, OU is set to face two schools with new coaches in 2026.

Ole Miss: The Rebels are scheduled to visit the Sooners again in 2026. Kiffin had been the Rebels' head coach since 2020. He won both meetings against the Sooners — winning at home 26-14 in 2024 and 34-26 on the road this season. The 11-1 Rebels will be coached by Pete Golding in the College Football Playoff.

Florida: Billy Napier didn't even finish the season with the Gators after another underwhelming season. Wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales took the interim role after Napier was let go. The Gators announced Sunday they were hiring Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall, who has the Green Wave in the playoff mix. The Gators will host the Sooners in the Swamp.

Kentucky: The younger brother of former OU coach Bob Stoops, Mark Stoops could be saying goodbye to his time in Lexington. The Wildcats fell short of a bowl game with a 41-0 loss to Louisville to end the season 5-7. The longest-tenured coach in Kentucky football history, Mark Stoops led the Wildcats to eight consecutive bowl games until missing one in 2024 — his contract runs through 2031. If UK were to fire Stoops, it would owe him 75% of his remaining salary for the rest of his contract term. That number would amount to about $37.69 million, as of Dec. 1, 2025, which ranks No. 5 in the SEC. Kentucky will play at OU in 2026.

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Oklahoma football 2026 schedule

• vs. UTEP (Sept. 5)

• at Michigan (Sept. 12)

• vs. New Mexico (Sept. 19)

• Texas (TBA)

• at Florida (TBA)

• at Georgia (TBA)

• at Mississippi State (TBA)

• at Missouri (TBA)

• vs. Kentucky (TBA)

• vs. Ole Miss (TBA)

• vs. South Carolina (TBA)

• vs. Texas A&M (TBA)

Isa Almeida is a trending reporter for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Isa? She can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @ialmeidasports. Support Isa's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Lane Kiffin to LSU means OU football will face two new coaches in 2026