Pete Golding has created change for the Ole Miss defense in year one, both on and off the field
Just over 11 months ago Lane Kiffin hired Pete Golding away from Alabama to come be in charge of the Ole Miss defense and help turn it around, asking for nearly a completely renovation project.
A decent foundation was already here with a handful of players serving as cornerstones but Golding had his work cut out for him after the Rebels finished the season dropping its last four games and a defense that looked like a paper towel under running water.
Expecting a massive turnaround and the project to be completed in a season is a tough ask under normal circumstances, but that expectation in the transfer portal era is even tougher.
Yet Golding managed to put the Ole Miss defense back on the track and even turned it into a unit that could deliver the big play in crucial minutes. The Rebels do not have a second 10-win regular season without the work Golding put in.
A year ago Ole Miss was preparing for the less than ceremonious Texas Bowl and a game against Texas Tech under former defensive coordinator Chris Partridge. A year later the Rebels are on the practice field practicing for their return to the New Year’s Six and considered a playoff team, if the new 12-team format was in place this fall.
Golding is to thank for a lot of this and the players see the tangible differences between this December and a year ago.
“I think the focus of improvement is still happening,” said safety Trey Washington on Monday. “Around this time (last year) was something that lacked in the past year. I think we’re getting better and I’ve really liked these last few practices.”
On the field the change is gradual but steady in the right direction. Ole Miss allowed 371 yards per game this season to opposing offenses, which is 17 yards less per game than what the Rebels defense was averaging in 2022. In scoring defense the Rebels held opponents to 22.3 points per game this season, a decrease of more than three points per game from last year (25.5).
Off the field, Golding has created more “buzz” for Ole Miss over the last couple weeks with transfer portal success.
With the post of a single shark emoji on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Golding sends the Ole Miss fan base into a frenzy as he has alerted everyone of an impending commitment from a major portal target or even a flip.
So far Golding has helped the Rebels secure a top-three transfer portal ranking and there is still one large shark remaining to be capture in Walter Nolen. Still, between Kiffin’s work in the portal paired with what Golding has been able to do the buzz is hard to ignore by current players.
“We see the recruits going around. We can feel the buzz (and) the atmosphere,” Washington added. “We’re excited for the future but we’re really focused on this bowl game.”
