Breaking: Sooners Expected to Hire Ole Miss' Lebby As New OC

Lebby is now expected to leave Oxford and return to his alma mater

Lane Kiffin has been one of the pioneers for the resurgence of Ole Miss football. The other name? Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby. That tandem is coming to an end. 

With Oklahoma's hiring of Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, the Sooners are expected to hire Lebby as their next offensive coordinator. Lebby, 37, is a graduate of the school and began his coaching career with the program as a student assistant from 2002-07. 

The deal is expected to be finalized Monday following Venables' introductory press conference. 

Veteran Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has emerged as the top target for the @OU_Football head coaching job, and the two sides could finalize a deal as early as today. Ole Miss’ Jeff Lebby is Venables’ top choice as offensive coordinator, sources tell ESPN.

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) December 5, 2021

Venables was on staff when Lebby first began to explore coaching. The Rebels' offense has been not just one of the SEC's best, but a leader in the FBS since 2020. 

In 2021, Ole Miss led the SEC in total offense. (506.7 yards per game) and rushing (224.3 yards per game). The Rebels finished top five in the conference in both passing and scoring as well. The Rebels led the SEC in 2020 in both total offense and rushing, while ranking top-five in all offensive categories as well.

Lebby has received high praise for his work and development of quarterbacks. Over the past two seasons, Ole Miss' Matt Corral has emerged not only as a Heisman candidate, but also a potential franchise quarterback at the next level. The junior was a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien award, given to the nation's best QB each season. 

Lebby also helped develop UCF's McKenzie Milton and Dillon Gabriel during his two-year stint at UCF. This past weekend, it was reported that Gabriel, who elected to transfer for his final season, visited Ole Miss as a potential landing spot of his future. 

The Sooners could be looking at multiple changes this offseason following Riley's departure. Former starter Spencer Rattler announced he would be transferring, and current starter Caleb Williams could elect to follow barring the hiring of Venables. 

Williams finished with 1,670 passing and 18 touchdowns and four interceptions in 10 games. Oklahoma finished 10-2 on the season and missed the Big 12 Championship game for the first time since 2008. 

Ole Miss finished with a recording-setting 10-win regular season finish. The Rebels will represent the SEC in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor to close out the 2021 season.  

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