Pete Golding officially named head coach at Ole Miss
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Pete Golding has officially been named the head football coach at Ole Miss, the university reported on Sunday. Golding replaces Lane Kiffin, who left the program after six seasons to take the job at LSU.
“From the moment he arrived in Oxford, we quickly realized Pete is a coach who could not only lead a program but elevate it to championship status,” Ole Miss AD Keith Carter said in a statement. “He has demonstrated an exceptional football mind, but more than that, he has shown a deep understanding of our culture, values and what it means to be part of the Ole Miss family. Simply put, Pete is one of us.”
Golding is in his third overall season in Oxford, being named Kiffin’s defensive coordinator ahead of the 2023 season. That came after five seasons in the same role at Alabama under Nick Saban, helping lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 2020.
So far in 2025, the Ole Miss defense is eighth in FBS in total defense (333.1), third in passing defense (182.6), No. 13 against the run (150.5), and seventh in points allowed per game (20.1).
Golding now will lead Ole Miss as it prepares for the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. The Rebels were ranked No. 7 in the most recent CFP Top 25 and should project as an at-large selection in the penultimate rankings scheduled for Tuesday.
The Playoff field will be revealed on Dec. 7, with the Rebels potentially in line to host in the first round in what would be the biggest game in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium —and program — history.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
