Pete Golding details commitment to Ole Miss after contract extension

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding became the SEC’s highest-paid assistant coach when he signed an extension, the Clarion Ledger reported on Thursday. He has become a staple of the Rebels program.

The Ole Miss defense has been known for its tenacious approach, one that stems from the man in charge of it. For his part, Golding was happy to learn how highly the program thinks of him.

“I mean obviously we came here from a family decision standpoint,” Golding said. “So that’s one thing, when you made the decision, right, you never know what they think about you. Obviously from the chancellor, right, to Keith (Carter), to coach (Lane) Kiffin, obviously we appreciate that.”

Pete Golding will be paid $2.55 million for the 2025-26 season, according to documents obtained by the Clarion Ledger. It is part of a new three-year contract signed Feb. 25, 2025.

Under his current deal, Golding’s annual pay will increase to $2.6 million from Feb. 1, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2017. It will increase again to $2.7 million from Feb. 1, 2027 to Jan. 31, 2028.

If Ole Miss wins the SEC Championship Game, Pete Golding earns another $50,000. If the Rebels go on to win the College Football Playoff Championship, he’ll notch a $150,000 bonus.

Of course, Ole Miss certainly has playoff aspirations after knocking on the door a year ago. Golding getting them there alongside Kiffin would only further cement the relationship.

“This is where we want to be,” Golding said. “This is why we came here. So I think that’s a direct reflection of the players, of the coaching staff, that has nothing to do with me. But obviously when you come here and want to be here, the commitment on both sides is awesome to see, so, yeah, definitely grateful and appreciative of that.”

For his part, Kiffin was also thankful to have Pete Golding on board. He opened up on that on Aug. 11 during the team’s camp.

“I think Pete does a phenomenal job of looking at the big picture, the end result, and not trying to win the drill. That means moving guys in different spots, trying different things, so that we get the best unit out there by the time we get to the opening game,” Kiffin said Monday. “So I think a lot of times over time here it’s been the offense (standing out early in camp). So that was good to see the defense. It’d be great to obviously play defense like we did last year.”

On3’s Billy Embody also contributed to this report.