The last few weeks have been dominated by the drama surrounding Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss which came to a head on Sunday when Kiffin finally ended the speculation taking the LSU job. While Kiffin threatened to take his offensive staff and followed through on that threat, leaving the defensive staff out of the reports gave everyone a hint at how this could play out.
Pete Golding decided not to follow Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge, and when he was announced as the Rebels head coach, it made a ton of sense. Golding is now tasked with moving his teams focus back on the task at hand as they have a chance to win a National Championship.
Pete Golding's first big move is a massive shot at Lane Kiffin
As we saw with Lane Kiffin at LSU, whenever a program hires a new head coach there's a ton of fanfare around the introductory press conference. The Ole Miss fans who were hoping to hear their coach speak, will have to wait for all of he celebrations.
On Tuesday, Pete Golding released a statement deciding to cancel the press conference asking everyone to focus on this historic team.
"After reconsidering tomorrow’s activities, I have decided to shift the focus back to where it belongs — the team. Our players have not received the notoriety they deserve for their remarkable accomplishments this season, they have given their all to Ole Miss, and I want to see the spotlight placed on them and the mission in front of us. This time is not about my start as head coach. It is about finishing this season’s story with a playoff run, and we look forward to discussing the next step in that journey following Sunday’s selection announcement."Pete Golding
The decision to cancel the press conference and release this statement is all just a massive shot at Lane Kiffin, and Pete Golding pulled it off without saying a word. After Lane Kiffin made the whole sport wait on his decision taking the attention of the Egg Bowl away from the game, Golding is showing everyone it doesn't have to be all about the head coach.
Lane Kiffin leaving may hurt the program in the long run, but it may give this current team what it needs to win a National Championship. This group has what it takes talent wise, but we're going to see an even more motivated group which may spell trouble for whoever draws the Rebels.