Pete Golding expected to coach Ole Miss during College Football Playoff after Lane Kiffin departure

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding is expected to remain at the school and will coach the team in the playoffs, per On3’s Chris Low. Not only that, but Golding could be a candidate to replace Lane Kiffin as Ole Miss’ head coach.

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.

Low also reported that Kiffin is doing his best to round up most if not all of the Ole Miss offensive staff. If they’re not on a plane to Baton Rouge Sunday, they will not join Kiffin at LSU and remain with the Rebels. What that looks like moving forward and especially in 2026 remains to be seen.

Golding plans to stay with Ole Miss for the remainder of the year and if he’s not named the new permanent head coach, it’s to-be-determined if he’ll be on the new staff.

Golding joined Kiffin at Ole Miss in 2023 as the team’s defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. He was previously at Alabama under Nick 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 as the interim head coach and perhaps beyond.

LSU is prepared to make Kiffin one of the highest-paid head coaches in the nation, with a deal that would pay at least $13 million per year and approach the $14 million mark. Sources told On3’s Pete Nakos, Brett McMurphy and Low that there is growing confidence in LSU’s camp, but no contract has been officially signed yet by Kiffin. Although, that is likely to change in the coming hours.

After meeting with Ole Miss officials for hours on Saturday, according to sources, the holdup Saturday revolved around Kiffin’s desire to continue coaching Ole Miss throughout the playoff, which Ole Miss officials had told him he would not be allowed to do if he took another job. That makes way for Golding.