Keith Carter Pushes Back on Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Exit Narrative, Backs Pete Golding as Right Choice for Rebels
The dust hasn’t quite settled in Oxford after Lane Kiffin’s high-profile departure to LSU, and Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter is making sure the record reflects the university’s side of the story.
In his first public comments since Kiffin’s exit on Nov. 30, Carter joined Richard Cross on SuperTalk Mississippi and offered a candid look into the weeks leading up to the coaching change. According to Carter, Kiffin’s suggestion that he only learned he wouldn’t be allowed to coach in the College Football Playoff on the day he left doesn’t line up with the facts.
“There’s been a lot of things he’s said publicly that I’m not sure have been totally accurate,” Carter said. “I think that both coach and his representation knew several weeks ago that coaching in the playoffs was not an option if he was not going to be the Ole Miss head coach.”
That’s a significant distinction. Kiffin’s version paints a picture of a sudden decision.
Carter’s account points to a clear understanding - weeks in advance - that a postseason sideline appearance wasn’t on the table if Kiffin was heading elsewhere. For a program sitting at 11-1 and ranked sixth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, clarity around leadership was critical.
What Really Happened in That Team Meeting?
Kiffin also claimed that during a Nov. 30 meeting with team leaders, players urged him to stay. But Carter, along with some players themselves, pushed back on that narrative.
“I don’t think the way that he portrayed that meeting was accurate,” Carter said. “There was a lot of pushback to him leaving … I think begging for him to stay is certainly an overstatement.”
He didn’t name names, but players like center Brycen Sanders and linebacker Suntarine Perkins had already taken to social media to offer their own version of events - and they didn’t exactly echo Kiffin’s story. The message from Carter was clear: while emotions ran high, the idea that the team pleaded with Kiffin to stay behind doesn’t match what actually went down.
Why Ole Miss Didn’t Launch a Coaching Search
As for the future of the program, Carter and Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce didn’t waste time pondering a national coaching search. Instead, they went with the guy already in the building: defensive coordinator Pete Golding.
“Why do that when we have the guy we know is the guy right in front of us?” Carter said. “We decided to go ahead and make the move, make Pete the permanent coach.”
Golding, who joined the Rebels in 2023 after a successful run as Alabama’s defensive coordinator from 2018 to 2022, was already a respected figure within the program. Carter emphasized that even if they had conducted a search, Golding would’ve been a serious candidate.
“He’s a guy that’s been here for three years. He’s got a great track record, coaching at Alabama and winning national championships,” Carter said.
“Pete’s a guy in that building that everybody respects. Not just the defense.”
It’s a move that prioritizes continuity and stability - two things that matter a whole lot when your team is still in the thick of the playoff conversation.
Keeping the CFP Picture Clear
Speaking of the playoff picture, Carter also revealed that Ole Miss was proactive behind the scenes to ensure the committee had a clear understanding of who would be coaching the team through the postseason.
Just hours before the latest CFP rankings were released on Dec. 2, Ole Miss announced which staff members would stay on for the playoff run. That included offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., who will follow Kiffin to LSU after the season but will remain in Oxford through the playoffs.
“We were doing a ton of work behind the scenes, working with committee members,” Carter said. “Making sure that they had all the information on who was going to coach our team … couldn’t be more excited about coach Golding and him leading the way.”
The Rebels are expected to host a CFP game on either Dec. 19 or 20, but the final bracket won’t be revealed until Dec. 7. In the meantime, Ole Miss is leaning into its new era under Golding, with Carter making it clear that the program’s focus is forward - not back.
For a team with championship aspirations and a fanbase hungry for postseason success, the message from the top is simple: the plan is in place, the locker room is steady, and the Rebels are ready to roll.