Ole Miss Coach Pete Golding Faces Coaching Challenges Ahead of Playoffs

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding is gearing up for the upcoming game against Miami, though he might have to do so with a reduced coaching staff during the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Golding mentioned that the decision regarding an assistant coach joining Lane Kiffin at LSU—or if one will be available to aid Ole Miss during the Fiesta Bowl—ultimately rests with the university. Following Kiffin’s departure from the Rebels, several key coaches, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, and wide receivers coach George McDonald, have reached agreements with LSU.

“They have every opportunity to make a decision, as they always have,” Golding shared with reporters recently. “So week in and week out, I don’t dictate whether they do that or not because they’re not employed by me. So far, that’s how things stand.”

If the Rebels succeed in winning their next two games, they would secure the program’s first national championship. Interestingly, ESPN reported that some of the assistant coaches who feel beleaguered might choose to stay at Ole Miss if the team remains in the playoff race.

Golding is confident that the ongoing uncertainty won’t derail Fiesta Bowl preparations. “Our players know what to do,” he said. “It doesn’t affect the game in any way. It would be great if it just exploded and made a big deal.”

He also confessed that he is uncertain about when he will receive confirmation about the assistants’ availability. “I don’t know. Do you know if you’re going to come to work tomorrow? I mean, we don’t know,” he said. “That’s for the adults to decide, so I don’t know. We’re going to go out and look for the ball. There were enough people in this building to come in this morning. We’ll be fine.”

Ultimately, Ole Miss is expected to lose senior analyst and passing game specialist Dane Stevens and graduate assistant Sawyer Jordan to LSU. However, Golding expressed confidence in his remaining staff, describing them as “elite coaches who can carry out their responsibilities anywhere.”

“A lot of people whose names you don’t know are the ones actually coaching the players,” he explained. “We have an elite staff that has been with us for a long time and knows these players inside and out. It’s no different than having a coach miss a game during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Golding also noted, “These situations arise every year. Players try to balance both jobs, and in times like this, new roles take precedence. If you can’t make it work, you can’t. That’s not the reason for the success or failure of the game. The playcaller remains unchanged.”

Before their unexpected win in the Sugar Bowl, Golding had already led Ole Miss to a first-round playoff victory against Tulane.