Ole Miss didn’t want to hold a long coaching search with Lane Kiffin bolting for LSU before the College Football Playoff (CFP).

The school wasted no time promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to permanent head coach in November 2025, eschewing the interim label with hope that having a familiar voice at the helm will help the program maintain a sense of continuity beyond this season.

Meet the 41-year-old who is suddenly tasked with leading the Rebels into the CFP.

He was a former player

A native of Hammond, La. — less than an hour away from Kiffin’s new stomping grounds in Baton Rouge — Golding played safety for four years at Division II Delta State, less than two hours away from Oxford.

He then jumped right into coaching, joining Delta State’s staff as a graduate assistant.

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