There’s a new man at the helm for the Ole Miss Rebels. His name is Pete Golding.
After an absolutely ridiculous past week or so in Oxford, surrounding the end of the Lane Kiffin circus event, the Ole Miss administration came together and quickly announced Golding as the new head coach for the Rebels, after Kiffin’s departure was made official.
Initially, many thought Golding was simply being named the interim coach. Instead, the coaching search ended before it even began, and he was named the permanent head coach. This announcement has been met with mixed emotions from the fanbase. Some are excited, some are a bit hesitant about the new hire.
So who is Golding, and why was the decision made as quickly as it was?
A New Era of Ole Miss Football
Who is Pete Golding?
Put simply, he’s a guy who has been around the game for a long time, despite being relatively young.
As a player, he was a safety at Delta State University, a Division II school in Cleveland, Mississippi, from 2002-2005. Following his playing career, the Louisiana native started his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Statesmen. From there, he served as the defensive coordinator at Delta State in 2010 and 2011. He then took the same position at Southeastern Louisiana for two seasons before becoming the defensive backs coach at Southern Miss. After two seasons in Hattiesburg, he became the defensive coordinator at UTSA. In his first season as a Roadrunner, his defense set a variety of school records, largely surrounding getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. His second season saw UTSA finish seventh in the FBS in total defense and eighth in scoring defense.
That’s where he got his big break.
After two seasons in San Antonio, he was hired by former Alabama head coach Nick Saban to be the Crimson Tide’s inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. The following season, he took over as the sole defensive coordinator for Alabama. In four seasons as the head of the Tide defense, they won a national title, as well as two SEC championships. They also played for another national title.
And despite criticism from Alabama fans, his defenses were typically solid. They finished outside the top 15 in the FBS in scoring defense only once in his four seasons as the Tide’s defensive coordinator. Total defense saw similar results in those four years.
However, after five total seasons in Tuscaloosa, his time at Alabama came to a bit of a mutual close. With that, he came back to Mississippi and became the defensive coordinator for Kiffin at Ole Miss.
Golding’s Time as Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator
His arrival in Oxford was huge news for Rebel fans. They had been dealing with a terrible defense for years, and he was meant to be the person to fix it. And he largely delivered.
In three seasons as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator, the turnaround on that side of the ball has been phenomenal. Year one was a bit of a struggle. That was to be expected. However, in year two, the Rebel defense finished as one of the best defenses not only in the SEC, but in the nation, as well. Top 15 in total defense. A second-place FBS finish in scoring defense. This was largely due to a tremendous defensive front seven and pressuring the quarterback. A heavy pass rush has become a staple of Golding’s defenses.
Then, this season, they were expected to take a step back, following a ton of lost production on that side of the ball. Guys like Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen went on to the NFL. And as expected, they did regress a bit. However, they still managed to finish in the top half of the SEC in most major defensive categories. Giving up only 20 points per contest, the defense is a big reason the Rebels sit at 11-1 and have all but locked up a College Football Playoff berth.
Then the Kiffin circus exploded. With its conclusion, Kiffin is now at LSU, and Golding is the head coach of the Rebels.
Why Was Golding Promoted Almost Immediately?
There are multiple answers to this question.
The first is the playoff. The Rebels have to show the committee that, despite losing their head coach, there’s still stability within the program. Promoting Golding does just that. He’s retaining the entire defensive staff. He’s also keeping a decent portion of the offensive coaching staff. The only prominent staff member following Kiffin to LSU is offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. Managing to keep much of the staff together is a huge plus.
Then there’s the players. Golding has always been known as a players’ coach. He’s a tremendous recruiter and has good relationships with his players. With players now having 30 days to enter the transfer portal, attempting to retain them has to become a big focus. In a lot of ways, Golding is the Rebels’ best chance of doing that.
The other side is how long it took Kiffin to make a decision. With him dragging it out as long as he did, most of the big names had largely already been announced at new positions. Jon Sumrall to Florida. Alex Golesh to Auburn. Those were two names that Ole Miss was high on. Apart from a few other long-shot options, the Rebels, to a degree, got caught in a bad spot.
For athletic director Keith Carter, Golding provided a solid mix of a successful track record, program stability, really good recruiting, and also, simply being a guy who cares about Ole Miss and wants to be in Oxford. So, despite having never been a head coach before, if he can finish rounding out a solid staff around him, he checks all the boxes you’d typically want in a head coach.
Given the chaotic circumstances, it was going to be hard for the Rebels to find that anywhere else.
Main Image: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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