Pete Golding and his team have weathered a significant storm, but tonight in the desert, they are determined to seize it all. Ole Miss may be making moves quietly, but they are certainly keeping track of those who have looked down on them and secretly wished for their downfall. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, Pete Golding and the Rebels are poised to push their limits all the way to the College Football Playoff title.
In his final press conference before kickoff, Golding remains resilient, focusing on the hand he’s been dealt to position his team as a force that the Hurricanes won’t see coming.
“Right now we’re playing under the same rules, so nobody is complaining about it. Everybody has got a retention component to their own roster. Everybody’s got the portal that they’re going to try to improve their roster with. I look at it as a benefit. A lot of guys right now are going to be sitting at home watching this game. Our guys have the ability to go out and play again. That’s what they want to do. Work is work, and we’re very grateful for the opportunity to have another game and do what these kids love to do,” he stated.
Every great coach starts somewhere, and much of Golding’s ability to navigate his current program stems from his time under Nick Saban. Reflecting on those lessons as he faces this pivotal moment, he shared, “I’ve learned so much from Coach Saban. But the number one thing for me from a program standpoint is I think he did an unbelievable job hiring unbelievable people. He would go and wasn’t scared of where they came from, what emblem they were working for, and what the route was to get there. He wanted the best person for that job, who created the most value for his players.”
As crucial as preparing for tonight’s game is, Golding also recognizes the importance of retaining current players while building for the future through recruiting and navigating the portal—a challenge he embraces wholeheartedly: “I think it speaks to the whole community. I think it speaks to the administration. I think it speaks to the collective. I think it’s been very obvious to me, even when I wasn’t at Ole Miss yet, the direction they wanted to go and what they were going to invest into it to get it there. I think when you hire good people and you recruit really good players and there’s vertical alignment from your chancellor to athletic director to your coach, I just think it’s a matter of time.”
Every year brings its own chaos, shaped by the time of year and various circumstances. Coaching and playing are no exceptions; you must find a way forward without seeking excuses. The focus is on solutions. In this context, the coaching staff’s composition—who is present and who isn’t—plays a significant role. Coming from Division II and IAA, Golding has experienced firsthand the demands placed on coaches:”You’re the strength conditioning coach, you’re the academic coordinator, and you gotta coach. I walked into the offensive room this morning, and there are nine guys that have been here all year in there. And there’s four more added to it. There are 13 guys in the offensive staff room, and nine of them have been here all year. I think we got enough guys to be able to coach and know the system and do it the right way.“
As the saying goes, “I didn’t invent the rainy day; I just own the best umbrella.” Pete Golding and his team may not be able to prevent storms from coming and going, but they certainly know how to protect what they have. Every season is chaotic in its own right, yet it’s crucial to maintain focus on solutions rather than distractions. The coaching aspect hinges significantly on who is available at any given moment. His goal has been to keep routines as consistent as possible.
When Golding took over, he didn’t aim to reinvent everything or erase history; instead, he embraced what was already in place and adapted accordingly. His approach has contributed significantly to their current success: “I wasn’t trying to change everything. This is about finishing out the 2025 season the right way, with whatever we have to do that. I know at this point — This isn’t week four. The culture has already been in place. The systems have been in place. The technique and all that is already there. It’s about the preparation at this point and getting your guys ready to go play. Our guys love playing football. I haven’t looked at anything outside.”
Golding has refocused attention back onto the athletes themselves and their contributions that have positioned the Rebels for success: “We have got a really good group of guys and men in that building that want to be there, that want to provide a really good environment for our players, and our players want to win. I haven’t gotten caught up in all the other stuff. It’s just whatever the moment is. If it’s game preparation, let’s get ready to play the game. If it’s recruiting, let’s recruit and try to recruit better than everybody else. Oxford will speak for itself. Ole Miss will speak for itself. I think a lot of things right now in college football and recruiting — A lot of people recruit based on tradition. We recruit based on trajectory.”
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A pressing concern remains: how will changes within Ole Miss’s coaching staff impact tonight’s game? “Do they want to be here? You’re damn right they do. But, again, the situation that it is, they’ve got a job to do and they’ve got to build a team where they’re at.… To answer your question, yes, we’ve got plenty of people”
The Rebels and Pete Golding are undeterred by past events; their focus is sharply set on the immediate challenge: defeating the Canes tonight in the CFP Finals. Golding dismisses any distractions, including the lingering influence of Lane Kiffin or LSU. “I don’t have a message for anyone else,” he states firmly. “ I think our team had a message. They had a message about how they prepared and how they play and that they weren’t tired of playing. I do think the message is: I’m replaceable. You’re replaceable. Our players are replaceable. I think you want to build a program to where it’s heading in the right direction. One person, one player, anything like that, that’s not going to derail that. There’s been too much invested in that, and it’s been aligned correctly; that one person is not going to impact something so drastically. If it is, it’s probably not built right, right?”
Golding emphasizes that historic teams, like the one the Rebels aspire to be, are not solely reliant on individual stars. “This is a team game,” he explains. “ So many people that go into it. The timing of when it happened, in my opinion, couldn’t have been better time for the players, because everything was already in place. Everything was on the track. It’s headed in the right direction. We have got really good players. There’s already a culture created. They knew the expectation.”
For Golding, personal recognition takes a backseat to ensuring his team is ready for this monumental clash on such a grand stage. He underscores that it’s about the Ole Miss Rebels as a whole: “The only thing that was different is who is running them out of the tunnel. And to be honest with you, I don’t think the players give a damn who runs them out of the tunnel. Does that make sense? They care about their plan. They care about being held accountable and how they’re going to prepare. They care about people that care about them. I think that’s been the message our players have created. I don’t have shit to say to anybody else.”
As the world rallies behind the Canes—with oddsmakers favoring Mario Cristobal’s Miami by 3.5 points—Golding knows this only fuels his team’s determination further. The Rebels will kick off from State Farm Stadium in Glendale at 7:30 PM ET, ready to make their mark on history.