When Lane Kiffin departed, the assumption around college football was that Ole Miss would stumble. Instead, the Rebels stayed intact, and that steadiness traces back to Pete Golding, who quietly shifted the program’s focus from who left to what remained. Ole Miss handled Tulane in its opening playoff game, and now, with Georgia looming, Golding’s message hasn’t changed.

“I think we take one week at a time,” Golding said during Georgia’s pregame media availability. “The mindset here has been 1-0 for a long time. Put the ball down, we’re going to play. But your preparation has to be right. Your focus has to be right. The execution has to be right Monday through Friday.”

That approach defined Golding’s first real test as head coach. Kiffin’s abrupt exit could have fractured the program, but Golding immediately redirected attention inward, refusing to let outside noise define the moment. Even after losing half of the offensive staff, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, and receivers coach George McDonald, the emphasis remained on continuity.

Despite losing half of the offensive staff—offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, and receivers coach George McDonald to LSU but Golding didn’t flinch.

He brought similar faces to the team, continuing trust in the locker room. Ole Miss staffer John David Baker took the offensive coordinator role, while John Garrison and Jake Schoonover remain on staff. Looking at Pete Golding’s mindset, almost all the defensive staff remained intact with the team. Defensive line coach Randall Joyner signed a new deal with the Rebels, adding up more on Golding’s move to give stability to the program.

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And all these efforts did wonders for them against Tulane. Ole Miss shines bright against them despite all the chaos, and defensive coordinator Bryan Brown gives all the credit to Golding for this massive turnaround.

“He controls the room. He controls the narrative in anything that he wants to control,” Brown said. “The guys believe in him just like they do defensively, and you can see it turning over to our full team. He just is a great human being, a great coach, and a great motivator … and is going to be a heck of a coach for a long, long time.”

After the game even Linebacker TJ Dottery showed immense trust in him. What’s interesting is even former players who played under Lane Kiffin backed Pete Golding’s leadership and Ole Miss’s decision to make him head coach.

“He kind of does some things that are unexpected,” former QB Jackson Dart said. “I’m looking forward to his next opportunity, and he and I have such a great relationship. I know for him, he’s going to put his best foot down and do some really great things for that program.”

Now, with that backing, Golding’s real test arrives against Georgia, as one loss can turn the entire narrative overnight. With playoff pressure, Golding’s also eyeing top targets in the portal.

Pete Golding’s team becomes the favorite to land former Auburn QB

With quarterfinals pressure, Pete Golding finds himself in a tough spot with portal chaos as roster concerns loom over. And their quarterback spot is in major trouble. With uncertainty looming over Trinidad Chambliss’s waiver for an extra year of eligibility, the decision is still awaited. Even Austin Simmons’s future remains unclear after suffering an ankle injury.

This intensifies their need at the quarterback position next season until Chambliss and Simmons confirm anything. Now, Ole Miss stands as the favorite to land former Auburn quarterback Deuce Knight. He’s one of the most talented players available in the portal. In just two games as a true freshman, he threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, adding 178 rushing yards and four more scores, showing elite dual-threat potential.

Now, as per Oke Miss Spirit Ben Garrett, Rebels are leading the charge to get him in. Adding Knight would give the Rebels’ quarterback position a major boost and would give Golding a major recruiting win.

“I think Deuce Knight, if he gets in, Ole Miss is the prohibitive favorite to land him,” Garrett said.

Now, with a future quarterback in line let’s wait and see how things turn out for Golding and Ole Miss against Georgia.