For any Giants fans hoping head coach John Harbaugh would woo LSU’s new offensive coordinator (and Ole Miss' former OC) Charlie Weis Jr. into the same role in New York, it’s definitely time to let that one go.
After weeks of speculation, interviews, and wish-casting, news broke that the G-Men had hired former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy for the same role in New York, putting an official end to any lingering Weis Jr. or Kliff Kingsbury dreams. In some other universe, those Giants fans are living it up, but in this one, we're settling in to our new reality.
The draw to the 32-year-old was clear. Junior spent three seasons as Dart's QB coach and OC at Ole Miss, helping him become a first-round pick. Thus, when the OC role became open, it was easy to see why so many fans thought he'd be the perfect choice for the job.
But, as it does almost every time news breaks, reports are coming out that some candidates were never real candidates. And in Weis Jr.'s case, there was never any interest in making the leap, which was confirmed by SNY's Connor Hughes about an hour after the Nagy hire:
There was a strong desire from the #Giants to get Charlie Weiss Jr. to New York, specifically for Jaxson Dart. The young QB loves him from their time together at Ole Miss. Ultimately, Weiss didn’t want to leave LSU.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) February 3, 2026
Not even Jaxson Dart could convince Charlie Weis Jr. to make a run at Giants' open OC role
If we're being honest, it was going to take a lot for Weis to leave Lane Kiffin's side. Not only did he follow him to LSU this offseason, but he's been attached to his hip since he was 24 years old, taking Florida Atlantic's OC role under Kiffin back in 2018. Tough competition.
Regardless, there was a shot -- Dart and Weis' history is well-documented. Literally. The pair rewrote the record books of Rebel football that hadn't been touched since the Eli Manning days. Over the course of their three years together, they put up some truly impressive stats.
When it was all said and done, the 2025 first-rounder completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 10,617 yards and 72 touchdowns, with a QB rating of 162.8. He added 1,498 yards and 12 scores on the ground for good measure. They helped lead Lane Kiffin's squad to three bowl games, winning two (Peach Bowl in 2023 and Gator Bowl in 2024).
But it's not just Dart's development that should get highlighted. The longtime Kiffin coordinator helped Dart's replacement, Trinidad Chambliss, finish eighth in the Heisman voting this past season. So, he's got some legitimate coaching chops.
All of this is to say that it ultimately didn’t break the Giants’ way, and now it’s all about trusting Harbaugh and his vision. He clearly felt Nagy was the right guy for the job, so as underwhelming as the hire feels, the benefit of the doubt belongs to Harby until he gives us a reason to take it back.