Who is Pete Golding? Meet the Ole Miss Coach Who Replaced Lane Kiffin

Pete Golding got an unexpected promotion when he was named head football coach at Ole Miss in November 2025.

Golding benefited from heated contract negotiations between Ole Miss and its former head coach Lane Kiffin. Following the Ole Miss Rebels’ 38-19 win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Egg Bowl on November 28, 2025, Kiffin signed a deal to become the new head coach at Louisiana State University.

Kiffin claimed he’d asked to stay on with Ole Miss through the postseason but was shot down by athletic director Keith Carter. That same day, the university named defensive coordinator Golding as Ole Miss’ new head coach ahead of their playoff game against Tulane on December 20, 2025.

“To the Ole Miss family, thank you for your support and belief,” Golding said in a statement at the time. “I’m excited for what’s ahead, and I can’t wait to attack this challenge together.”

Keep scrolling for more information about Golding’s life and career.

Pete Golding Replaced Lane Kiffin as Ole Miss Head Football Coach

Lane Kiffin confirmed his departure as Ole Miss’ head coach on November 30, 2025, after extended negotiations with university management. Kiffin left Ole Miss to take the head coaching job at Louisiana State University.

“After a lot of prayer and time spent with family, I made the difficult decision to accept the head coaching position at LSU,” he announced via X on November 30. “I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern.”

He continued, “My request to [stay on for the playoffs] so was denied by [Ole Miss Athletic Director] Keith Carter despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance. Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels. While I am looking forward to a new start with a unique opportunity at LSU, I will forever cherish the incredible six years I spent at Ole Miss and will be rooting hard for the team to complete their mission and bring a championship to Oxford.”

Ole Miss wasted no time in securing a new head football coach. Hours after Kiffin’s announcement, Carter revealed that defensive coordinator Pete Golding was being promoted to the head coaching job.

“We could not be more excited to announce Pete Golding as the next head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels,” Carter said in a statement. “His tenure will begin immediately as he leads our program in the pursuit of a national title. Today’s team meeting was a clear indicator of his ability to galvanize our squad. All of our players and coaches are ecstatic and ready to lock arms for a playoff run.”

Carter went on, “From the moment he arrived in Oxford, we quickly realized Pete is a coach who could not only lead a program but elevate it to championship status. He has demonstrated an exceptional football mind, but more than that, he has shown a deep understanding of our culture, values and what it means to be part of the Ole Miss family. Simply put, Pete is one of us.”

Pete Golding Said Ole Miss Coaching Job Was an ‘Incredible Honor’

After Pete Golding’s hiring was announced on November 30, 2025, he publicly thanked athletic director Keith Carter, chancellor Glenn Boyce and the “entire Ole Miss leadership team” for the promotion.

“Oxford is home, and it’s an incredible honor to lead one of the nation’s premier programs, and I can’t wait to get to work immediately and prepare this team to win a national championship,” he said in a statement.

Golding added that he’d felt nothing but “passion, pride and unwavering support” from Rebel Nation since he was hired as a defensive coordinator in January 2023.

“This is a place where expectations are high, and football is woven into the fabric of the community,” he said. “Our mission moving forward is clear: we will play with toughness, discipline and relentless effort in everything we do. We will recruit at the highest level, develop our players on and off the field, and compete every single day to bring championships to Oxford. Most importantly, we will represent this university with class and integrity.”

Pete Golding’s Coaching Career Started in 2006

Golding was a four-year starter at Mississippi’s Delta State University between 2002 and 2005. In 2006, he started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for then-Delta State head coach Rick Rhoades.

He worked his way up the ladder with defensive coordinator positions at several southern universities — including Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Miss and the University of Texas at San Antonio — before he was hired by legendary head coach Nick Saban at the University of Alabama in December 2017.

He stayed at Alabama for the next five years until Lane Kiffin hired Golding to become Ole Miss’ new defensive coordinator in January 2023.

“At multiple stops in his career, Coach Golding has directed some of college football’s top defenses,” Kiffin said in a statement at the time. “He is also an outstanding recruiter and understands the level of talent necessary to compete at the highest level. I think this continues to show our commitment to taking Ole Miss football to the next level.”

Pete Golding Was Arrested for a DUI

Pete Golding publicly apologized during his tenure at the University of Alabama for being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Northport, Alabama, in February 2022, reported The New York Times.

“I am deeply sorry for the actions that led to my arrest last night,” Golding said in a statement. “I sincerely apologize to my family, everyone in our organization, including our players, Coach Saban, the staff, the University of Alabama and our fans.”

Golding continued, “Regardless of the outcome of this pending investigation, I did not uphold the values I have for myself and the values of the Alabama football program. I am committed to learning and growing from this mistake and I will work to earn back the trust of those who I have disappointed.”

The University of Alabama released its own statement to confirm its leadership was “aware of the incident involving Pete Golding.”

“We are mindful of the seriousness of the situation and will continue to gather more information to address this personnel matter,” a university spokesperson said.

While Golding resolved the case privately, he told reporters in August 2022 that his arrest was proof that there are “consequences for making bad decisions.”

“I made a very poor decision that affected a lot of other people than just myself. And it was selfish,” he noted. “And it opened up a lot of emotions for a lot of people, because people can be affected by making that decision. And I was wrong, and I’ve got to suffer the consequences for it.”

Golding assured reporters that he’d worked privately to make amends to his family and the Alabama football team.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life, obviously, to adjust what I do to become a better person for it, as a father, a husband and a coach,” Golding said. “When I told the team, I met with them that next day. I said ‘Look, man, I can tell you anything I want, but I’ve got to show you.’ To provide that leadership and get the trust back from the team, that I’ve made a mistake, I’ve learned from it, and move on.”

Pete Golding is Married to Ole Miss Graduate Carolyn Golding

Pete Golding is married to Carolyn Golding, whom he met in Cleveland, Mississippi, while he was playing football for Delta State University. Carolyn is a Mississippi native who actually graduated from Ole Miss in 2007 and later taught accounting at the school.

Pete and Carolyn donated $100,000 to Ole Miss in April 2024 to support the university’s accountancy school. As a result of their donation, an adjunct professor suite at Ole Miss’ Patterson School of Accountancy was named in the Goldings’ honor.

“The accountancy school is No. 1 in the SEC and Top 10 in the country and it was that way when I was in college. I wanted to support the school so that it can continue to grow and keep its high standards,” Carolyn said at the time.

Carolyn recalled that she had a “great experience in the accounting school, and I have a lot of respect for the faculty” of Ole Miss.

“I’ve always excelled in math and numbers,” she explained. “When I was little, I played Monopoly a lot and I always wanted to be the banker to control the money. I think I’ve just been inclined to be in accounting since childhood.”

Pete Golding Has 3 Children

Pete Golding and his wife Carolyn Golding have three children: sons Braxton, 13, and Bentley, 10, and daughter Bailey, 7.

24/7 Sports reported that Braxton and Bentley had two questions when their dad was named the new Ole Miss head coach.

“Can I do the fire extinguisher on the sideline?” they asked, along with: “Can I walk [Lane Kiffin’s dog] Juice down the Rebel Walk?”