Ole Miss Eyeing Current Arizona Cardinals Staffer, Ex-Florida Gators Coordinator

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding continues looking to add to his coaching staff in Oxford after being promoted to the shot-caller of the Rebels on Nov. 30.

After Lane Kiffin made the decision to depart the Magnolia State, Ole Miss officials turned to Golding where he was then elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach of the program.

But Golding will continue handling duties as the defensive coordinator as the program gears up for its first College Football Playoff game in school history on Dec. 20 against Tulane.

“I’m the defensive coordinator,” Golding said this week. “Nothing has changed on who’s calling plays.

"Obviously, the responsibility that I took in that room has changed, and obviously coach Bryan Brown will move up to control that room, which we’re super excited about. Has had a lot of success everywhere he’s been doing that.”

Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Sep 21, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin (left) shares a laugh with defensive coordinator Pete Golding (right) during warm ups prior to the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Brown has served as the co-defensive coordinator of the Rebels alongside Golding where the two have worked side-by-side in Oxford - where he now will take on an expanded role this postseason.

“I love calling defense,” Golding said. “Feel like I do a decent job at it. That’s not going to change. [Brown’s] going to take on a lot of responsibility of managing that room from a practice-scripting standpoint.

"But as far as actually calling the defense, the system, the terminology, we’ve recruited to that system for three years. I’ve looked every kid in the face and every parent in the eye and said, ‘I can assure you that system won’t change and it’s not going to.’

“We have a lot of really good people in this room to be able to allow me to still do that on game day, and that’ll be at this point and moving forward.”

But Ole Miss will be eyeing a new co-defensive coordinator for the 2026 season after Golding was promoted to head coach.

According to Rivals, Arizona Cardinals defensive backs coach Patrick Toney is a potential candidate where he has experience in the SEC after a recent stint with the Florida Gators.

Patrick Toney is on Pete Golding’s co-DC radar https://t.co/gZDnC2iCvY
— The Ole Miss Spirit (@OMSpiritOn3) December 12, 2025

Golding has retained a myriad of staffers on defense after being promoted, but finding a new co-defensive coordinator is on the agenda. Now, Toney could become a candidate, according to OM Spirit.

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