Pete Golding is heading into his first full season as a head coach, and the biggest decision shaping that year is already on the books.
He handed former Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator John David Baker the keys to one of the nation’s most dangerous offenses, a move that puts Baker in charge of keeping the Rebels near the top of the sport on that side of the ball. Baker replaces Charlie Weis Jr., who is now one of the top ten highest-paid assistant coaches in the country.
Baker’s path to this moment has been a steady climb. He arrived at Ole Miss in 2021 and spent three seasons coaching tight ends, learning under Weis and former Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin. After the 2023 season, he took the offensive coordinator job at East Carolina University and walked into a program that needed a complete overhaul.
ECU had been one of the worst offenses in the country before Baker got there. One year later, he had the Pirates humming.
In 2024, East Carolina became a top-30 offense, averaging 436 yards per game, finishing 8-5 and beating NC State in its bowl game. Then in 2025, Baker pushed it even further, leading ECU to a 9-4 record while the offense finished in the top 15 nationally in total offense.
That kind of turnaround is why Ole Miss is betting on him now. He took a struggling unit and turned it into one of the best in college football, and now he gets to work with a much better roster in Oxford.
The challenge is obvious: the Rebels were already a top 10 offense last season, and the expectation around the program is that Baker keeps that level of production rolling. He’s got the pieces to do it, starting with what might be the best backfield in the country.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will run the show. He finished eighth in Heisman voting last year and is viewed as a favorite to win it this season. Kewan Lacy is right there with him after being a Doak Walker finalist last year and carrying real momentum into this season as well.
Baker won’t be running the exact same offense Ole Miss had a year ago, though. The tempo will still be there, but the emphasis is shifting toward a stronger run game. With Lacy back, that approach makes sense, and the Rebels also have other backs available so Lacy can stay fresher deep into games and later in the season.
That kind of balance can wear defenses down fast. A heavier run game opens the door for play-action, and if Ole Miss executes it well, the offense could become even more dangerous than it was a year ago.
For Golding, the pressure is real after last season’s success. For Baker, the opportunity is just as big. If he gets this offense moving the way he did at ECU, Ole Miss should have one of the best attacks in the country again.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Gets Its First Real Hype Test Under Pete Golding
The preseason spotlight is about to get a little brighter around Oxford, with the 2026 US LBM College Football Coaches Top 25 poll set to be released Aug. 4. USA TODAY Sports will unveil the rankings live on YouTube, and for Ole Miss, it figures to be the first real public check on how the program is viewed as it enters the Pete Golding era.
Ole Miss is expected to land in the preseason poll, which would add another layer of expectation to a schedule that already has plenty of intrigue. Louisville and LSU headline a slate that also includes Charlotte and Florida, and the ranking on release day should offer an early read on how much respect Goldings first Rebels team is getting before a snap is played. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Enters Fall Camp With One Defense Defining Battle
Fall camp opens Aug. 6 with Ole Miss beginning a new era under Pete Golding, and one of the first places to watch will be along the defensive front. The Rebels are trying to sort out a useful rotation at EDGE, a spot that has to generate more disruption if this defense is going to look different from last season. A projected depth chart already gives some shape to the battle, with Jonathan Maldonado and Kam Franklin penciled in as starters.
What makes the group interesting is the mix of body types and styles competing for snaps, which should give Golding a few ways to build packages once the pads come on. Ole Miss does not just need one standout edge presence, it needs enough dependable pieces to keep pressure coming in waves and hold up over a full game. The next few weeks should reveal which players can turn that promise into a real rotation, and which ones will be waiting for another chance down the line. [Read more 🡒]