TAMPA, FL – Pete Golding took the stage on Wednesday at SEC Media Days and was clearly prepared to give his opinion about the current state of college football, along with the obvious questions about Lane Kiffin.
If you know the Ole Miss head coach, none of this should come as a surprise, given his lack of filter regarding life, or just about anything else.
Obviously, one of the main questions some in the room were prepared to quiz Golding on was his relationship with former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. But unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the past few months, his feelings toward his former boss are pretty well known.
Yes, they are still friends, but that doesnt mean they agree on everything, which would include Kiffin’s exit for LSU. And yes, they still communicate on what is seemingly a daily basis, though Golding does go a few days without responding to Kiffin if he’s in the mood to mess with him just a bit.
But, the story regarding the Ole Miss versus LSU showdown in Oxford this coming season is more geared towards the players and fans of each school. For the coaches, sure they’d thoroughly enjoy beating each other on the field, but it’s not as if either of them came out in a rough spot following the chaos last December.
LANE KIFFIN CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT OLE MISS, EVEN WHILE EXPLAINING WHY HE CHOSE LSU OVER FLORIDA
“I get this everywhere we go…Lane and I are good,” Golding mentioned. “I did not know coach Kiffin prior to taking the Ole Miss job. I think everybody just assumes Alabama, Alabama (assistant roles) when coach Kiffin was (there). I didnt come to Ole Miss because of Kiffin, I came to Ole Miss to raise three kids. Our relationship grew over those three years.
“I’m very appreciative of how he treated me and my family, and learned a lot from him. I have no ill-will towards Coach Kiffin. He texts me on a regular basis, and there are certain things we’ll talk about, and certain things we don’t talk about. He’s very competitive like I’m very competitive..”
While there is still a lot of obvious frustration between the Ole Miss athletic department and Lane Kiffin, things seemed to work out just fine for Pete Golding.
Sure, I’d imagine he did not want to be thrust into the spotlight that late in the 2025 season, right before the playoff was set to begin. But, Pete Golding was also hellbent on staying in Oxford, no matter if it was him being given the keys to Ole Miss, or staying on as an assistant coach.
Heck, Golding actually ended up buying one of Lane Kiffin’s houses in the Oxford area over the past six months.
“There’s always going to be history, it’s the ex, right?,” Golding joked about Kiffin.
On Wednesday, as the questions continued to be asked about the relationship between Kiffin and Golding, the Rebels coach had a different mindset on how some of the issues played out to end the 2025 regular season.
“I tell a lot of people this. I probably shouldnt, but I don’t care: In 2021, if you said you can look in 2025 and you’re about to be 11-1 and go to the playoff. Would you take it if you’re coach was leaving? Hell yea, you would. Everybody won from it, it’s ok. Every place is not for everybody.
“I’d be the first one to tell you I told him it would be dumb if he were to leave, I wanted him to stay. That was a selfish decision because I love being the DC where I was at. He decided it was better for him and his family. We play him
