Over the weekend, Ole Miss announced that after 5 years on Nick Saban’s staff (4 as the Alabama Crimson Tide defensive coordinator), Pete Golding was trading in Tuscaloosa for Oxford and joining Lane Kiffin’s staff in the same role.

In 2022, Alabama finished with its lowest ranking in Defensive SP+ since Golding took over (11th). In fact, it’s the first time in 15 years the Tide finished outside the top 10 in Defensive SP+. The Tide ranked 35th in defensive success rate and were left out of the College Football Playoff for only the 2nd time in its existence.

Now, Saban has the opportunity to find someone new to lead the defense.

FOX’s Joel Klatt hinted on his show this week the legendary head coach probably isn’t too shaken up about that fact.

“I don’t think anything happens at Alabama or within that program under Nick Saban that Nick Saban doesn’t either bless or desire,” Klatt said. “He wants it to happen either way. I know of guys specifically — and I’m not gonna name names — that have coached for Nick Saban that got great opportunities and he told them, ‘No, you’re not gonna do that. You’re gonna stay here and here’s the reason why.’ He desired that they stayed.

“Those same guys got different opportunities, and he said, ‘Thumbs up, go ahead, that’s a good one.’ You cannot tell me that Nick Saban sat in front of Pete Golding and said, ‘Yeah, Ole Miss defensive coordinator is better than being here. You need to go do that.’ That’s all I’m gonna say.

“I think Pete has done a nice job in many respects. They’ve lost Charles Kelly as well. He went to Colorado to be the defensive coordinator at Colorado. I would just say this: at Alabama, nothing happens in that program — nothing happens in that program — that Nick Saban doesn’t either bless or desire.”

ESPN reported over the weekend that Golding’s decision to leave Alabama was his own and that he was not pushed out.

But this isn’t the first defensive assistant to exit since the season ended. Kelly — hinted at by Klatt above — left his position as the associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach to join Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado.