Pete Golding shares what Nick Saban taught him about accountability
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Pete Golding was fortunate enough to be 1 of the many assistants to learn and grow under legendary head coach Nick Saban.
From 2018-22, Golding was Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama, before he went to Ole Miss to take the same position. Golding ran the Rebels’ defense from 2023 to late last season, when Lane Kiffin left for LSU and Golding became the head coach in Oxford.
Fast-forward to Saturday night, when Golding will be coaching in 1 of the biggest games of his career and in 1 of the biggest games of the 2026 season. During his Friday afternoon appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Golding talked about Saturday night’s showdown between his 8th-ranked Ole Miss team and 7th-ranked LSU, with Kiffin coming back to Oxford and all of the hype that surrounds the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC.
But Golding also spoke about what Saban’s influence has meant to him and how much of a difference it’s made in his coaching career.
“For me, for the longest time coaching, I felt like discipline was like, when I signaled a defense in, did the 11 guys line up where they were supposed to? Did they do their jobs the way I was telling them to do it? That’s what I thought about discipline. … Coach (Saban) was the first one to make me (realize), no, no, here’s something I know I’m supposed to do, but I don’t want to do it, can I make myself do it?” Pete Golding told McAfee, who was hosting the show from Oxford on Friday in the leadup to Saturday night’s game.
“The self-discipline piece to me, I learned so much from Coach Saban, and it’s not just for the players, it’s for everybody in the building,” Golding added. “The ability to hold people accountable the way he did on a consistent basis and not get tired of it, at the age he was at. He’s a machine, man. I learned so much from him and really appreciated my time, obviously, that I was at Alabama with him.”
Golding will no doubt be drawing on what Saban taught him when Saturday night arrives. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Golding’s chances to lead Ole Miss to that huge victory over LSU on Saturday night:
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.
