Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin announce hiring of OC George McDonald, TE coach Joe Cox
OXFORD — This week, Lane Kiffin formalized the appointment of Illinois' George McDonald as Ole Miss football's new wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, and former Alabama assistant Joe Cox as the Rebels' new tight ends coach.
McDonald will replace Derrick Nix, a longtime Ole Miss assistant who recently was named offensive coordinator at Auburn for Hugh Freeze. Cox replaces John David Baker, who left for the offensive coordinator job at East Carolina.
McDonald has been an FBS assistant since 2001, pausing for two years to coach wide receivers for the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
He spent the past three seasons on Bret Bielema's staff in Champaign. Previously, he coached at NC State for six seasons, with stops at Syracuse, Miami, Minnesota, Western Michigan, Stanford, Northern Illinois and Ball State.
Near the top of McDonald's coaching résumé is the job he did with Illinois receiver Isaiah Williams, who started his college career as a quarterback. Williams was named All-Big Ten twice, including to the first team in 2023. He finished the season with 82 receptions for 1,055 yards and five touchdowns.
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McDonald inherits one of the most talented groups of receivers in the country. Stars Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins are returning from a prolific group of wideouts, and Ole Miss added former All-SEC performer Juice Wells, as well as Deion Smith, the top junior college prospect in the country.
Cox, a former quarterback at Georgia, had been coaching tight ends for the past three seasons, first at Charlotte and then for two years at Alabama under Nick Saban. Before that, he coached receivers for a year at South Carolina. He started his collegiate coaching career at Colorado State, where he spent five seasons — three of them as tight ends coach.
He'll take over a unit that features a returning veteran starter in Caden Prieskorn. Ole Miss bolstered its depth in the transfer portal, too, adding Virginia Tech's Dae'Quan Wright.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin announce new offensive coordinator
