Key Ole Miss assistant coach being targeted for NFL job, per report
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Key Ole Miss assistant coach Patrick Toney is expected to be hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their new defensive pass game coordinator, according to a report by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Friday afternoon.
If the Falcons do swoop in and hire Toney away from Ole Miss, it would be a massive and stunning development, with Toney being hired by the Rebels as defensive coordinator less than 2 months ago. Toney was brought on board by new head coach Pete Golding on Jan. 7, one day before Ole Miss lost to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals, ending its magical 2025 season.
Golding hired Toney to replace himself, with Golding serving as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach when Lane Kiffin left for LSU. Now, it appears that Ole Miss might once again be looking for someone to run its defense in 2026.
Before being lured to Oxford in January, Toney was the safeties coach for the Arizona Cardinals for the past 3 seasons, and in 2022 he got a taste of the SEC as the co-defensive coordinator at Florida. If Friday’s CBS Sports report comes to fruition, Toney won’t be dipping back into the SEC in 2026 and will instead be headed right back to the NFL.
The San Diego native has some history with Golding, coaching alongside the Ole Miss head coach at Southeastern Louisiana in 2012 and 2013. Golding served as the defensive coordinator at the time, with Toney coaching under him as a defensive assistant.
The duo was set to be reunited this season in Oxford, but that now doesn’t look like it’ll happen, with the NFL reportedly calling Toney’s name again.
Here are Kalshi’s current odds for the top teams to win the 2026 SEC championship, with Ole Miss being right there in the mix:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
