How Pete Golding Saved Ole Miss From Falling Apart After Lane Kiffin's Departure

Pete Golding has started his head coaching career off very promising

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Pete Golding speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The departure of Lane Kiffin from LSU may have caused Ole Miss to crumble.

What it actually did was give first-year head coach Pete Golding a tough test – how to rebuild a group of players coming off their most successful season ever, while at the same time trying to keep your players away from your predecessor.

Golding not only managed to pass the test. He made a statement about his abilities.

In the middle of all the chaos, the Rebels came out with 29 new recruits and the No. 2 recruiting class in the transfer portal, which included a 303.4 projected team score, the highest ever in program history.

Kiffin lost the battle for Chambliss and Lacy

Dec 20, 2025; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) fakes the hand off to running back Kewan Lacy (5) against the Tulane Green Wave during the first half of a game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The greatest battle raged at the backfield position. While there were rumors of Kiffin offering Kewan Lacy an LSU scholarship, Ole Miss offered Lacy an estimated $1.8 million to stay in Oxford, an incredible amount of money for a program that desperately wanted to avoid losing one of its prized athletes to a rival team.

Golding was not always successful in his tugs of war. Three players—linebacker TJ Dottery, wide receiver Winston Watkins, and offensive lineman Devin Harper—have all moved to the Tigers, adding some spice to the recruiting battle even before the two programs square off on the field.

The loss of Dottery was especially painful since he had been the tackle leader in the SEC and the “green-dot” communicator in the defense. However, Golding made up for this loss soon enough, despite some controversy surrounding him.

First off, Golding added defensive tackle Jeheim Oatis of Colorado and lineman Michai Boireau of Florida to shore up his trenches, while in receivers, who were left with huge voids due to losses, he signed Darrell Gill Jr. of Syracuse and Johntay Cook II, who was once a five-star prospect.

The reward? Now that Chambliss and Lacy have returned after producing a combined 54 touchdowns last year, Ole Miss goes into 2026 looking to win the title, not prove they’re respectable – proof positive that Golding’s first time through the portal was not just solid but a statement.

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