Pete Golding is the Ole Miss head coach who took over when Lane Kiffin left for LSU, coached the Rebels through their first College Football Playoff run to the semifinal, and now leads them into his first season as a full time head coach. He is 42, a Louisiana native, and spent nearly 20 years as a defensive assistant before Ole Miss promoted him on November 30, 2025. Tonight he coaches against the man who hired him.
| Born | February 8, 1984, Hammond, Louisiana |
| Playing career | Four year starter at safety, Delta State, 2002 to 2005; 285 career tackles, third in school history |
| Hired | November 30, 2025, promoted from defensive coordinator the day Kiffin left |
| Head coaching record | 5 and 1: 2 and 1 in the 2025 playoff, 3 and 0 to open 2026 |
| Salary | About $6.8 million a year, per On3 |
| Before Ole Miss | Alabama defensive coordinator 2019 to 2022 under Nick Saban, co-coordinator in 2018 |
Coaching Career
| Years | Team | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Delta State | Graduate assistant |
| 2007 to 2009 | Tusculum | Defensive coordinator |
| 2010 to 2011 | Delta State | Defensive coordinator; reached the 2010 Division II title game |
| 2012 to 2013 | Southeastern Louisiana | Defensive coordinator; school record 11 wins and a Southland title in 2013 |
| 2014 to 2015 | Southern Miss | Safeties |
| 2016 to 2017 | UTSA | Defensive coordinator |
| 2018 to 2022 | Alabama | Defensive coordinator and inside linebackers; national title in 2020 |
| 2023 to 2025 | Ole Miss | Defensive coordinator under Kiffin |
| 2025 to present | Ole Miss | Head coach |
How He Got the Job
Kiffin’s departure was announced on November 30, 2025, the day after the Egg Bowl, with Ole Miss 11 and 1 and headed to its first College Football Playoff. Rather than let the season play out under an outsider, athletic director Keith Carter promoted Golding the same day. Kiffin took his offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis Jr., and much of the offensive staff to Baton Rouge. Golding kept the defense he had built, which had carried the Rebels for three seasons, and inherited the roster.
The playoff run settled the question of whether he could do it. Ole Miss beat Tulane in the first round, beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal, and lost the Fiesta Bowl semifinal to Miami by four points. Three games as an interim, two wins, a top three finish, and the job was his without an asterisk.
The Kiffin Connection
Kiffin hired Golding in January 2023 after five seasons at Alabama, at a time when the Tide fan base had soured on him despite a national title and consistently strong defensive rankings. The Ole Miss defense went from a liability to the reason the program became a playoff team. So tonight’s game carries a specific kind of tension: Golding owes his career revival to the man across the field, and Kiffin left the roster and the staff that Golding turned into a semifinalist.
Golding is 3 and 0 this season, the same as Kiffin at LSU, and both teams are ranked in the top ten. Whoever wins tonight leads the SEC race with a head to head edge.
Related
Lane Kiffin profile · Why Kiffin left Ole Miss · Kiffin’s record at Ole Miss and against LSU · LSU vs. Ole Miss live score · LSU vs. Ole Miss history