Ole Miss didn’t just survive the Lane Kiffin exit - it kept rolling, and that’s why Pete Golding’s name is starting to pop up in places nobody would’ve expected this soon.
The Rebels handed the program over to their defensive coordinator after Kiffin left for LSU, a move that looked risky on paper because Golding had never been a head coach before. But he steadied the ship in a big way last season.
Once the administration kept Kiffin from coaching the playoff run, Golding took over and guided Ole Miss all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Rebels came within seconds of winning that game before falling to the Miami Hurricanes, 31-27.
That run has raised the stakes around Golding’s first season as the full-time head coach. If he proves the success in Oxford wasn’t just tied to Kiffin, he could quickly become one of the hotter names in the sport whenever a major job opens.
That’s where Paul Finebaum’s story comes in. While appearing on “The Next Round,” the ESPN voice said he heard something at SEC media days that caught him off guard: a suggestion from an Alabama source that Golding could one day end up in Tuscaloosa.
“The funniest thing is I was talking to some Alabama person later... and they said, 'If Kalen DeBoer doesn't work out and Golding does, he'll be the next Alabama coach,'" Finebaum said. "I'm like going, 'Really?' But he made that type of impression."
There is at least one obvious connection. Golding spent five seasons in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban as the defensive coordinator, so the Alabama ties are real.
Still, the idea remains a long way from reality. DeBoer has gone 20-8 in his two seasons leading the Crimson Tide, reached the SEC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff last year, and signed a contract extension this offseason.
For now, Golding’s focus is much closer to home. He’s still proving himself as a first-time head coach, but he already showed he can handle pressure when Ole Miss needed him most. If that continues, his name could keep climbing on major coaching lists - even the kind that sound far-fetched at first.
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