Alabama's Pete Golding in "No Rush" to Become Head Coach
DALLAS — When the coaching carousel starts spinning and vacancies form across the country, the names of Alabama coordinators and assistants frequently pop up. That's why Nick Saban has had seven different offensive coordinators, four different defensive coordinators and countless assistants and analysts during his 15-year tenure in Tuscaloosa.
Pete Golding has been on the Crimson Tide coaching staff since 2018 serving as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. During Monday's Cotton Bowl media availability, Golding was asked about how he's grown at Alabama and the ways that might prepare him for other job opportunities in the future.
"I've always been one, regardless of where I was at, to be where my feet are, to do the best job where I'm at to try to prepare our kids the best way to develop them on and off the field," Golding said. "I think if you do a really good job where you're at, which obviously a lot of people before me have, then opportunities will come.”
Even though opportunities could come, that doesn't mean Golding necessarily wants to be a part of them. He's pretty comfortable in the position he's in now working under, "the best football coach to ever coach the game" in his opinion.
"I promise you, I'm in no rush to be a head coach," Golding said. "I think a lot of that is overrated.”
Golding grew up in Louisiana as the son of a high school football coach, so he's been around the sport and the profession his entire life. He played in college at Delta State and started his coaching career there in 2006 as a graduate assistant before going to Tusculum College. He spent the next eight years bouncing around Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas at various schools in defensive coaching roles before being hired at Alabama in 2018.
Alabama is the first Power Five job Golding held with previous stops at schools like Southern Miss and UTSA. He assured the media that even as a coordinator, he makes more money than he ever thought he would in coaching.
"Obviously when those opportunities come, you weigh them as a family and see if it’s best for you and for them," Golding said. "But I enjoy where I’m at. I learn something new everyday. We’ve got great kids to work with. The University of Alabama’s an awesome [place] to be— our support system, our administration. So, I love where I’m at."
