Pete Golding didn’t sound like a coach describing a team on day one of fall camp. He sounded like somebody who’d already spent months building toward it.
That was the biggest takeaway from Ole Miss’ first official week of camp: this didn’t feel like a clean slate. It felt like a continuation. Golding pointed to the way the Rebels reworked their offseason structure, the progress made through spring and summer, and the return of two defensive pieces who missed time earlier in the year.
"Yeah, I mean, I think kind of the way we restructured it, it really didn’t feel like the first day of camp," Golding said. "It feels like we’ve kind of been at this for a while now."
The point, from Golding’s perspective, was simple. The offseason was designed to flow directly into camp, not treat camp as the beginning of everything. That meant players arrived with more familiarity, more confidence, and more of the system already in place.
"We're further along of guys knowing what to do and having more things in than we've had before," Golding said.
That kind of head start matters, especially with a new offensive coordinator in John David Baker. Golding had plenty to say about him, and none of it suggested a learning curve was slowing things down.
"But to me, JDB from the very beginning was a plug-and-play," Golding said. "That already had some rapport with some players that were already here, that understood the system and believed in the system."
Golding’s description of Baker as "plug-and-play" says plenty about how smoothly the transition has gone. The offense isn’t spending camp figuring out the basics. It’s moving forward.
On the defensive side, the first extended look at Edwin Joseph and Jordan Renaud also stood out. Both missed spring practice, which made this week their first real chance to show the staff what they can do in an extended setting.
Golding liked what he saw from Joseph, especially after the work he put in over the summer.
"Really impressed with the summer that Edwin’s had, the work ethic," Golding said. "We’re still working on a little bit on some of the outside things, but when you spot the ball, the kid’s special.
He’s got unique ability. He’s got a lot of versatility."
That versatility is a big reason Joseph fits so naturally into Golding’s hybrid STAR role. At Florida State, he showed he can move around and handle different jobs, and that kind of flexibility is exactly what this defense values.
Renaud also drew praise for his development.
"I think Jordan has gotten a lot better in the weight room," Golding said. He’s heavy-handed, but he’s athletic enough to be a good pass rusher as well. So I was really excited to see both of them have pretty good days and be healthy."
Golding’s comments painted Renaud as more than just another body in the rotation. The combination of physicality and pass-rush ability gives him a profile that could matter in a big way if it keeps showing up in camp.
Still, Golding’s bigger message wasn’t about any one player. It was about what camp is supposed to do.
Spring and summer install the foundation. Fall camp is where the staff starts putting that foundation under stress.
"Obviously, you can’t create in the summer; create a little adversity, understand situational football a little better," Golding said.
The goal is to find out now what happens when things get messy, before the Rebels run into a real game situation and have to answer on the fly.
"So it’s not Louisville that the first time adversity hits or where there’s a situation that occurs that we’re not prepared for," Golding said.
For Ole Miss, the message from the first week was clear: there’s already a level of continuity here, but camp still has a job to do. The Rebels have to prove they can handle the pressure, the speed, and the unexpected before the season starts asking those questions for real.
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Trinidad Chambliss went from injury replacement to the face of Ole Miss football in 2025, taking over after Austin Simmons went down and helping push the Rebels to a program-record 13 wins while coming close to reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. His rise has only sharpened the conversation around what it all means for Lane Kiffins reputation, especially after one SEC coach suggested Chamblisss breakout had more to do with the quarterback himself than with the head coach drawing the plays.
Chambliss is back for a final season after winning a court battle to return, and hell do so under Pete Golding as Ole Miss opens 2026 against Louisville with expectations that will be hard to miss. The quarterback is already being talked about as a Heisman Trophy contender, which only adds another layer to the debate in Oxford: whether Kiffins offense helped create the moment, or whether Chambliss was the kind of player who could have turned heads anywhere. [Read more 🡒]
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The balancing act is what makes Bakers first turn so interesting. Ole Miss also went into the portal to deepen the receiving room, bringing in Syracuse wideouts Darrell Gill Jr. and Johntay Cook, which gives the offense more options if the staff wants to keep its pace high. The open question is whether Baker leans into the same aggressive approach that made the Rebels so hard to handle or dials it back enough to help the rest of the team breathe a little easier. [Read more 🡒]