One of the biggest stories around last season’s Lane Kiffn-led soap opera was the assistant coaches who’d be following Kiffin to LSU.
Replacing the head coach is an simple adversity to overcome. But replacing the head coach and most of the offensive staff including the coordinator is a much more difficult task to accomplish.
That’s why it was a big deal that Charlie Weis Jr. stuck around for the College Football Playoff. Without him calling plays, maybe the Rebels fall to Georgia or don’t come as close to beating Miami. Maybe they do.
The point is that the relationship between the offensive coordinator and quarterback was hugely important.
The scheme matters. Talent matters. Playcalling matters. But none of it works if the coordinator and quarterback aren’t aligned, communicating and trusting each other.
Ole Miss looks like it already has that part figured out.
John David Baker stepped into the job with a head start. Trinidad Chambliss wasn’t just familiar with the offense, he was the anchor of it.
Offensive head coach Joe Judge knew him, trusted him and had already built the kind of relationship that lets a coordinator understand how a quarterback thinks. Baker walked into that dynamic and immediately saw the value.
“It was obviously huge, with Trinidad being the most important piece to have back,” Baker said. “Coach Judge and Trinidad’s relationship is huge, but it was also a great bridge for me to figure out what I had missed over the last two years.
“We went somewhere else for a couple of years and did some different things and added new wrinkles, just like they did here. It was great for me to be around during the playoffs and learn some of it. Over the last few months, it has also been about understanding the different things they’ve added that Trinidad likes.”
That’s a big sign of the relationship that’s been built. Baker isn’t saying “my way or the highway.” Instead, he wants to know what his quarterback wants to do, too.
“If Trinidad likes it, then I like it because it has a great chance to work,” Baker said at his first press conference Monday.
That’s how good quarterback‑coordinator relationships sound. It’s not about ego. It’s about trust.
Chambliss feels it too. He’s been clear that Pete Golding’s priority was stability and Ole Miss hired someone who already understood the offense and how Ole Miss plays.
“It’s good,” Chambliss said last week. “He hired someone who was familiar with our offense and what we do. He had been here before, so it’s great to have someone who has elite football knowledge and also knows our offense.”
That comfort is showing up in his development. Chambliss said his football IQ has taken a real jump this offseason.
“Definitely my football IQ,” he said. “Coach Judge, [Baker] and the other coaches have helped me a lot with that. It’s about recognizing disguises, seeing coverages, understanding how defenses play and identifying the shell of the defense. I’m getting more repetitions with that and seeing it better, so I would definitely say my football IQ has increased.”
Baker sees the same thing, but he also sees the next step. He wants leadership. He wants consistency. He wants Chambliss to avoid the complacency that can creep in when a quarterback knows the offense too well.
“You’re running something you’ve run 100 times, and all of a sudden you start predetermining things. That can’t happen,” Baker said. “You have to be the same guy all the time.”
And the first‑team reps matter. Not because the plays are different, but because the chemistry is.
“It’s more about the camaraderie with the skill guys and getting on the same page with them on certain concepts,” Baker said. “You develop an understanding that, on a certain route, this guy likes the ball here or there. You know that when a defensive back plays him a certain way, he’s going to react a certain way.”
Chambliss says the transition to Baker has been exactly what he hoped.
“It has,” he said. “Getting to know [Baker] over the past few months has been great. He’s a great coach, and he’s also a great person. It was an easy transition.”
That’s the story here. Ole Miss isn’t just installing an offense. It’s building a partnership between the person calling the plays and the person executing them. When that relationship is strong, the offense usually is too.
And right now, Ole Miss’ most important connection already looks locked in.
