Pete Golding named new head coach at Ole Miss; Lane Kiffin takes LSU job

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OXFORD – Ole Miss has named defensive coordinator Pete Golding its new permanent head coach, the school announced Sunday. Previous head coach Lane Kiffin announced via social media Sunday that he accepted the LSU job. Kiffin, who just finished his sixth season with the Rebels, had a 55-19 record at Ole Miss.

The No. 7 Rebels are currently 11-1 and are a virtual lock to earn their first berth in the College Football Playoff. Ole Miss won the Egg Bowl 38-19 against Mississippi State on Friday. Per ESPN’s College Football Power Index, the Rebels are one of five teams with a 100% probability of making the 12-team CFP field and are in position to host a first-round game.

According to a source in Sunday’s team meeting, the room “erupted” when Golding was announced as the hire. Golding, a Hammond, Louisiana native, played collegiately at Delta State.

“We could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels,” Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said in a statement. “His tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title. Today's team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.

"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. 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."

The Tigers fired former head coach Brian Kelly in October and reportedly flew Kiffin’s family to Baton Rouge earlier this month. Ole Miss defeated the Tigers 24-19 on Sept. 27. Ole Miss has 11 double digit-win seasons in its program’s history; four of those have come in the last five years under Kiffin. The Rebels have won at least 10 games each of the last three seasons for the first time in program history.

With speculation about Kiffin’s future and whether he would coach the regular-season finale running rampant, Carter released a statement about a meeting with Kiffin, chancellor Glenn Boyce and himself and that “an announcement on Coach Kiffin’s future is expected the Saturday following the game.”

Following Friday’s Egg Bowl victory, Kiffin said he still hadn’t made a decision and needed to “do some praying and figure this thing out.”

“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” Kiffin said in a statement. “My request to do so was denied by Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching.

“ … While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”

In the four years prior to Kiffin’s arrival from Florida Atlantic before the 2020 season, Ole Miss went 20-28 and did not make a bowl game. The Rebels will have made it to the postseason in each of Kiffin’s six seasons and have finished the season ranked in the AP Poll’s top 12 in three of five complete seasons.

Offense has historically been the hallmark of Kiffin-led teams, and that was no exception in Oxford. The year prior to Kiffin’s arrival in 2019, Ole Miss averaged 26.6 points per game. In six seasons under Kiffin, the Rebels never averaged less than 33 points per game and ranked in the top-30 scoring offenses each season. They also ranked in the top 15 in total offense each year. Kiffin is 117-53 overall in 14 seasons as a college head coach at Tennessee, USC, FAU and Ole Miss. He also had assistant coaching stints at USC and Alabama, among others.

Despite losing 18 starters from a star-studded team that ranked in the top-3 nationally in both scoring offense and defense a year ago, Ole Miss – picked to finish seventh in the SEC’s 2025 preseason media poll – clinched the first 11-win regular season in program history with its Egg Bowl victory. The Rebels, led by former Ferris State star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and a revamped running game spearheaded by Doak Walker Award finalist Kewan Lacy, won seven SEC games for the first time since 2003. Their only loss this season was an eight-point defeat at Georgia, a game the Rebels led by nine heading into the fourth quarter.

Golding is in his third season as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator following a stint in the same job at Alabama. Ole Miss has ranked in the top-35 nationally in scoring defense each of his three seasons, including the No. 2 unit a season ago. Despite returning just two starters on defense, Ole Miss is tied for 25th nationally at 20.1 points per game allowed.

Several players showed their support for Golding as they trickled out of the Manning Center following Sunday’s meeting. One player yelled about “The Pete Golding Era” while redshirt sophomore center Brycen Sanders exclaimed, “We’re going to the natty baby” as he walked out.

It's unclear which assistants will remain on Golding's staff, though On3's Pete Nakos reports "Ole Miss is aggressively working to retain staff that Kiffin is targeting to bring with him to LSU."

“I would like to thank Keith Carter, Chancellor Boyce and the entire Ole Miss leadership team for placing their trust in me. Oxford is home, and it's an incredible honor to lead one of the nation's premier programs, and I can't wait to get to work immediately and prepare this team to win a national championship,” Golding said in a statement. “Ole Miss Football is special. Since the day I arrived, I've felt the passion, pride and unwavering support of Rebel Nation. This is a place where expectations are high, and football is woven into the fabric of the community. Our mission moving forward is clear: we will play with toughness, discipline and relentless effort in everything we do. We will recruit at the highest level, develop our players on and off the field, and compete every single day to bring championships to Oxford. Most importantly, we will represent this university with class and integrity.

"To the Ole Miss family, thank you for your support and belief. I'm excited for what's ahead, and I can't wait to attack this challenge together."

Ole Miss will learn its likely CFP matchup on Dec. 7.

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