Report: Brent Venables told Pete Golding to be his own defensive coordinator after hire at Ole Miss

Pete Golding is still new to this head coaching gig. He is doing so on the biggest stage, guiding Ole Miss through the College Football Playoff. Thursday was his second game in charge, taking on Georgia in the Sugar Bowl after advancing due to a first-round victory over Tulane.

At the same time, folks in Oxford are still attempting to figure out the plan for the future. Golding already made one decision, saying he will remain as the team’s main defensive coordinator. It’s not one he made alone, though, as he reached out to a fellow head coach for advice.

“He told us yesterday that he reached out to Brent Venables, the outstanding coach at Oklahoma,” ESPN‘s Sean McDonough said during the Sugar Bowl. “One of the best defensive minds in all of football. Venables has kind of gone in and out of being his own defensive coordinator at Oklahoma and Venables told him ‘I think you should do it. You’re great at it. You might give it to somebody else and then you might not like the way it goes and then you damage relationships.’ So, he’s going to do it moving forward.”

For the longest time, programs wanted Venables to be their head coach because of his defensive background. Between Oklahoma and Clemson, Venables continually produced some of the best units in college football. The Sooners brought him on board in 2022 and since then, Venables has gone back and forth as the defense’s main voice.

Well, he took over the role ahead of the 2025 season. To say the move paid off would be an understatement, as Oklahoma saw an immense amount of success follow. A 10-2 regular season helped OU earn its own spot in the College Football Playoff off the back of the elite defense.

Golding certainly hopes to replicate those kinds of results in the future. But for now, all of his attention is on finding a way to beat Georgia and continue the CFP dream. No need for a 10-2 regular season if you can just win four straight to earn a national championship.

Long-term questions for Ole Miss can come whenever the run ends. And we will even get head-to-head matchups between Golding and Venables moving forward. The two programs are protected opponents after the SEC expanded the conference schedule to nine ahead of the 2026 season, possibly creating a fun rivalry.