A head coach’s personality can often define their team’s attitude.
When he was the head coach at Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin was a mix of confident swagger, sarcastic charm, and a desire to be the center of attention (a trait that became all too apparent in the last month).
We’re still learning about new head coach Pete Golding and what he stands for. One thing that has become abundantly clear in his short time running the program is that he does not appear to give a sh*t about what other people think, which sounds like exactly the kind of energy Ole Miss needs heading into the College Football Playoff.
Pete Golding, on his reaction to being named head coach at Ole Miss after Lane Kiffin left for LSU
“The immediate reaction was I got my ass up out of my seat, went straight out the door to try and recruit offensive staff to not get on an airplane”
“I’m not changing who I am,… pic.twitter.com/IUldHTR6Kx
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 8, 2025
“The immediate reaction was I got my ass up out of my seat, went straight out the door to try and recruit offensive staff to not get on an airplane,” Golding told OutKick’s Trey Wallach regarding how he reacted to being named head coach.
“I’m not changing who I am. I ain’t changing what the hell I wear or going to yoga or playing pickleball. I ain’t doing any of that sh*t. I am who I am. We’re going to roll. We’re going to do this thing the right way. I’ve done it a long time around a lot of good people, and we’re going to give it our best shot and see what happens.”
You could probably draw a direct line between Golding’s comments about yoga and pickleball and his predecessor, who was a fan of both. Shots fired.
Following the news that the Rebels would be the 6-seed in the 2025 CFP, Golding continued his NSFW approach to press conferences.
“Yeah, for me, it was, you know, we’ve been through about a month and a half, right, that all of the focus was on everything that didn’t matter. And the focus wasn’t on a team that went 11-1, that busted their a**, that did everything right to put themselves in an unbelievable position to have players, right, that had really elite years because of team success that should be able to get individual accolades and aren’t,” said Golding. “We’re talking about the wrong sh*t.”
“So, like, for me, at that point? Like, this has nothing to do with 2026. Like, this is 2025. In a normal situation, I’d be the interim coach, and we’d be celebrating this team, this town, this university having the ability to host a playoff game. Why the hell would we make it about me when it really doesn’t matter? They don’t give a sh*t whether I run them out or not.”
While Kiffin moved on from Ole Miss before the CFP, Jon Sumrall will be coaching Tulane across the sidelines from Golding in the CFP first round despite taking the Florida Gators job. Golding shared his appreciation for his opponent and colleague, the only way he knows how.
“Obviously, with us defensive guys, there aren’t a lot of us, so we’ve got to stick together,” Pete Golding said of Sumrall. “Jon and I go way back. I recruit Louisiana, and obviously, he’s been at Tulane. My brother lives in New Orleans, so I love getting down there and seeing him. I think the world of him, and I’m thinking a lot about him. I was just calling him, and obviously the Selection Show hadn’t come up, so I told him hopefully y’all got to go to Oregon and bring your a** out West.
“But, he had a good indication that he was kinda pushing to get back to Oxford. It’s a little closer, so I was just congratulating him on a heck of a year and also talking about some of the Florida transition. I told him he better bring his a** to Gainesville because he’s gonna be losing all these players over the next two weeks if he’s not down there saving that program. But I was just messing with him and congratulating him.”
Despite finishing the season 11-2, Ole Miss enters the CFP with a massive chip on its shoulder thanks to Kiffin. By all accounts, it sounds like Golding is the guy to help them win the whole f***ing thing.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.