Newly promoted Ole Miss coach Pete Golding seeking stability as CFP opener vs. Tulane looms

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — As Pete Golding prepares to make his head-coaching debut for Ole Miss in a high-stakes College Football Playoff game, he’s pushing the message that the Rebels are “focused on the mission, not the man.”

That “man” is former coach Lane Kiffin, the brazen architect of the Rebels’ dynamic, high-octane offense.

Kiffin lobbied to keep coaching Ole Miss in the postseason even after accepting LSU’s $13 million-a-year offer to coach the Tigers in 2026, but Mississippi sent him packing on Nov. 30. That set in motion coaching staff upheaval that the No. 6 seed Rebels have been forced to confront even as they prepare to host 11th-seeded Tulane in a first-round playoff game on Saturday.

Several key offensive assistants — including coordinator Charlie Weiss, tight ends coach Joe Cox and receivers coaches George McDonald and Sawyer Jordan — have decided to follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge.

However, Weiss has been permitted to remain with the Rebels through the CFP, offering some measure of stability for the offense.

“Super excited,” Golding said when practices resumed this week. “Energy and effort have never been an issue with our group.

“All the pieces are in place to be consistent,” Golding added. “The practice is really the easiest piece to control.”

The Rebels have averaged 37 points and 498 yards of total offense per game this season under Kiffin.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has accounted for 3,500 yards of total offense, with Kewan Lacy adding 20 touchdowns on 258 carries for 1,279 yards. Eight different receivers have accounted for at least 15 receptions apiece.

It remains to be seen whether Ole Miss can sustain that kind of production in the postseason — without Kiffin’s demonstrated knack for recognizing advantageous moments to call a given play.

“We’ve had a lot of success in this system. We’ve done well with it here,” Golding said. “I love everything about it and know what issues it causes for defenses.

“Neither team is going to try to reinvent the wheel at this point,” Golding said. “They’re going to be who they are.”

In addition to the usual work of preparing for a game, Golding quickly hired three offensive coaches, including John David Baker, a former Ole Miss staffer, as offensive coordinator for next season.

The defensive staff will remain intact.

The multitasking for Golding hasn’t stopped with managing staff changes. Golding also has had to work on roster retention, particularly on offense.

Several receivers, along with Lacy and Chambliss, are widely seen as potential transfer portal targets of other teams.

“It’s about retention of your roster and stability. Players want to know who they’re going to play for,” Golding said. “They want to know the schemes aren’t going to change.”

That’s why Golding wanted incoming coaches like Baker, who doesn’t officially start until 2026, at Ole Miss football headquarters and available to talk to current players now.

“It’s really important to get those guys around our players before the portal opens” in January, Golding said. “Being available from a relationship standpoint, meet them, talk to them, so they have a really good idea about them.”

Chambliss is awaiting a decision on a waiver status application that would allow an additional year of eligibility.

“It would be great to get another year, but right now that decision is in God’s parking lot,” Chambliss said.

In the meantime, Chambliss is preparing for a better version of Tulane than he saw last time, when he passed for 307 yards and rushed for 112 in a 45-10 victory.

“Tulane is a tough team, really physical on defense,” Chambliss said of the American Conference champions, who’ve been led by BYU transfer QB Jake Retzlaff. “They’re rolling right now. They just won their conference and we expect them to be at their best.”

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