Pete Golding Reveals Whether He Considered Following Lane Kiffin to LSU

Pete Golding Reveals Whether He Considered Following Lane Kiffin to LSU

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Pete Golding Reveals Whether He Considered Following Lane Kiffin to LSU

One of the biggest stories of last year’s college football season unfolded late in the year when Lane Kiffin decided to leave Ole Miss following the regular-season finale and accept the head coaching job at LSU Tigers football.

The move drew significant attention because Ole Miss’ season wasn’t over. The Rebels were still alive in the College Football Playoff and ultimately advanced all the way to the semifinals under interim head coach and current full-time leader Pete Golding.

Golding, who served as Kiffin’s defensive coordinator, recently opened up about that transition and revealed whether he ever considered following Kiffin to LSU like several other members of the Rebels’ staff.

“That’s not why I came here. This had been going on for two years, whether Lane was going to leave, even the Florida talk the year before,” Golding told On3’s Chris Low. “I was like, ‘Hey bro, I love you, but don’t get it twisted. I didn’t come here for you.’”

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Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding and LSU head coach Lane Kiffin
Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels and defensive coordinator Pete Golding of the Mississippi Rebels during the game against the Mercer Bears at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 02, 2023 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

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Golding stepped in and, despite the turmoil surrounding the program and fan base following Kiffin’s abrupt departure, did a remarkable job leading the team through the transition. Not only did he guide Ole Miss through the remainder of the season, but he also helped stabilize the program during the offseason.

Perhaps most importantly, Golding was able to retain much of the roster’s core talent, including star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, a move that dramatically changed the outlook for what the Rebels can accomplish in the SEC this season.

“PG wants to be known as a team-first type of coach,” Chambliss said. “He doesn’t really care about any of the outside noise, any of the social media stuff, what’s going on at another university or what’s being said in the news or whatever.”

Kiffin is scheduled to return to Oxford on Sept. 19 as the head coach of LSU, and it’s safe to say he should not expect a warm reception from the Ole Miss faithful.

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