Paul Finebaum: New Ole Miss coach Pete Golding is 'far inferior' to Lane Kiffin

Paul Finebaum took quite a swipe at new Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, saying he was “far inferior” to Lane Kiffin. On the surface, especially in terms of head coaching experience, he’s not wrong.

But on the flip side, Golding comes from a solid career as a defensive coordinator, including coaching under Nick Saban at Alabama. Ironically, Kiffin did the same.

But now that Kiffin has left for LSU and Golding is tasked with leading Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff and beyond, it’s anyone’s guess how the Rebels will do. Finebaum doesn’t necessarily trust the committee to disagree with his take on Golding either. 

“They should look at what’s happening on the field,” Finebaum said on Get Up. “But if you want to trust this playoff committee, Greeny, do it at your own risk, because I don’t ever trust them when you put 12 or 13 people in a room. Now the difference is you would have had Lane Kiffin as your head coach. Now you have Pete Golding. Anybody heard of him? Not really. Is he a better coach than Lane Kiffin? No, he’s a far inferior coach, but he still has the same team. So what does he get out of that team? I think they should stay where they are, but I don’t trust this committee to do that.”

Kiffin led the Rebels to an 11-1 regular season and they’re bound to make the College Football Playoff despite not playing for an SEC Championship. But with Kiffin’s pivot to Baton Rouge this weekend, it’ll be Golding to finish things out for the Rebels in 2025.

Golding joined Kiffin at Ole Miss in 2023 as the team’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. He was previously at Alabama under Saban from 2018-22 in the same role.

Golding’s other stops, since 2006, include Delta State (his alma mater), Tusculum, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Miss and UTSA. Now, he’ll get a chance to lead the Rebels, potentially, on a national championship run in his first act.

“Ole Miss Football is special,” Golding said. “Since the day I arrived, I’ve felt the passion, pride and unwavering support of Rebel Nation. This is a place where expectations are high, and football is woven into the fabric of the community.  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. To the Ole Miss family, thank you for your support and belief. I’m excited for what’s ahead, and I can’t wait to attack this challenge together.”