Ole Miss football officially hires veteran general manager
By David Wasson
Published:
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding continues to fill out a Rebels staff that was fractured in the wake of Lane Kiffin bolting for LSU.
On Sunday night, Ole Miss announced the hiring of Austin Thomas as president of football operations/general manager.
Thomas served LSU in 2024 as a senior associate athletic director for football administration. It was his third stint at LSU, as Thomas previously served as general manager for the Tigers in 2021 and was a staff member from 2013-17 – including being college football’s first general manager when LSU promoted him to that role in 2016.
Thomas spent the 2020 season as senior associate athletic director for football at Baylor, where he was tasked with overseeing all football related activities for the Bears. Thomas also served as the associate athletic director for football personnel at Texas A&M during the 2018-19 seasons.
Golding took over the Rebels program Nov. 30 – the same day Kiffin bolted Oxford for Baton Rouge. Both Golding and Kiffin have been hiring assistants in the ensuing time, with Golding also coaching the Rebels in their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Ole Miss downed Tulane in the first round of the CFP to win Golding’s debut as a coach, and the 6th-seeded Rebels (12-1) take on the 3rd-seeded Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day (8 pm ET, ESPN).
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
