Pete Golding opens up about timing of Lane Kiffin’s departure, promotion to head coach
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Ole Miss coach Pete Golding spoke with ESPN’s Greg McElroy on the latest episode of Always College Football this week.
Golding was of course asked about the dramatic departure of Lane Kiffin to LSU, which materialized in the days following the 2025 Egg Bowl. Kiffin famously left for Baton Rouge prior to Ole Miss‘s College Football Playoff run.
Golding was asked about the timing of when he knew he would be asked to take over for Kiffin.
“Obviously the Egg Bowl was that Friday,” Golding said. “I rode back with Kiff … I still couldn’t get a real feel. I was with him the whole time and it was like ‘Tuesday, I’m going to Florida. Wednesday, I’m going to LSU. Thursday, I’m staying. I still couldn’t have a real feel.
“Saturday night, I got the first call from [Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter] saying ‘Kiff has decided to go elsewhere. Let’s meet at 7:30.”
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Golding said he then had an offer to take over as the Ole Miss head coach on Sunday.
“It got real at about 12:20 that day,” Golding said. “They called me back over, the chancellor and Keith, and said, ‘hey, we really want you to do this. We think it’s the right time. We think you’re the right guy.'”
Golding was officially named the next head coach at Ole Miss on Sunday, Nov. 30. That decision paid off — at least in the short-term — quickly, as Golding led the Rebels to a pair of CFP wins before bowing out in the semifinals.
With quarterback Trinidad Chambliss set to return for 2026, Ole Miss will once again have CFP aspirations going into next season.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
