Pete Golding on that shark emoji and Ole Miss' transfer portal success: 'With that comes expectations'
ATLANTA — The month of December has been a good one for Ole Miss, specifically defensive coordinator Pete Golding. The first-year assistant has inadvertently become a social media darling.
While head coach Lane Kiffin was once again securing another successful transfer portal haul it was Golding that served as Paul Revere and lighting the proverbial lantern.
The signal was a simple one: a single shark emoji posted to Golding’s X account. Whenever Ole Miss fans saw a new post they knew good news out of the transfer portal was going to follow.
Over the last few weeks the shark crazy took over the Rebels fan base, causing grown adults to constantly refresh their feed seeing of they missed Golding’s latest alert.
On Christmas Eve the biggest signal was posted as Golding alerted Ole Miss nation that Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen, the top-rated player in the portal, had committed to the Rebels.
Whether Golding meant to or not, he might have surpassed Kiffin in the social media hierarchy. At least for a month.
“Once you’ve been at (Alabama) nothing’s surprising,” Golding said laughing when speaking with the media on Wednesday. “They’re called fans for a reason. They’re fanatic. I think it’s awesome. They’re excited and continue to build on that. But with that comes expectation.”
Ole Miss has the third-best transfer class according to On3’s latest team rankings, behind Louisville and Colorado.
Golding also managed to landed top EDGE in the portal, Florida’s Princely Umanmielen, as well as getting Tennessee’s Tyler Baron to bolster the defensive line along with returners JJ Pegues and Jared Ivey.
Add those to the rest of the portal haul Ole Miss secured on the defensive side of the ball and it is easy to see the momentum building, something Golding is aware of but also knows with great power comes great responsibility.
“When you start getting better and you’re winning 10 (games) and you’re winning 11, that’s the expectation,” Golding added. “Ain’t going to be about winning, it’s about how you win. I think it’s maintaining and making it still fun when you’re at that level and I think that’s what’s hard to do.”
Golding has created the hype and the buzz to make Ole Miss a legitimate College Football Playoff contender in 2024.
Kiffin is the vehicle and face but his first-year defensive coordinator is providing the fuel and this duo is taking the Rebels to heights the program has not been the same orbit of in the modern era.
The focus over the next four days is putting the finishing touches on Peach Bowl preparations and securing the program’s first 11-win season.
Come January 1 the focus then shifts on finishing up one of the best recruiting and transfer classes in the nation and work towards September.
“Sustaining at that level in this conference, I think, is what’s hard to do,” Golding said. “I think you do it by getting good players, staying who you are and keep making it fun. I think coach Kiffin does a good job at that.”
