The Ole Miss Rebels have dealt with a chaotic few weeks as Lane Kiffin's courtship became the biggest story in college football. While Florida dropped out of the race for Lane Kiffin, the LSU Tigers never did as Kiffin is now heading to Baton Rouge to lead the Tigers. While Kiffin contemplated leaving, the issue of whether or not he could coach the team in the Playoff became a sticking point.
Amid Lane Kiffin's efforts to finish the season with the Rebels, he threatened to blow up the coaching staff, which appears to be the case as he's lined up most of his offensive staff to join him in Baton Rouge.
BREAKING: Lane Kiffin has lined up most of his offensive staff to join him at LSU, @clowfb reports.
— On3 (@On3sports) November 30, 2025
He's told them if they’re not on the plane to Baton Rouge today, they won’t have a spot on staff👀
The Tigers have a press conference scheduled for Monday to officially… pic.twitter.com/IDmEvCbXwz
Early on, it became clear that Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding wouldn't be joining Lane Kiffin in Baton Rouge, at least in the short term. When Golding decided to stay in Oxford, it made him a top candidate for Ole Miss' head coaching gig, which was resolved quickly.
Ole Miss names Pete Golding its next head coach
On Sunday Afternoon, Ole Miss held a team meeting where the future of the program was discussed both for this season and moving forward. Before the dust even settled on Lane Kiffin's departure, the Rebels named defensive coordinator Pete Golding their permanent head coach.
BREAKING: Ole Miss is promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to its permanent head coach, @PeteNakos reports👀https://t.co/YSvQKsiUUN https://t.co/D9kDCCNMw3 pic.twitter.com/aDI5U15qm6
— On3 (@On3sports) November 30, 2025
The decision by Ole Miss makes a ton of sense as they needed to clear up the future of the program ahead of the College Football Playoff, and for recruiting reasons as Lane Kiffin will certainly try to poach players off of the roster.
Pete Golding joined Ole Miss' staff in 2023, leading the defense all the way through this season. Before his time in Oxford, Golding served as Nick Saban's defensive coordinator at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide win the 2020 National Championship.
The Rebels are now tasked with rallying around Pete Golding for the College Football Playoff and then for the long-term future. Ole Miss is currently ranked 7th in the College Football Playoff rankings.