Pete Golding Exploring Options For Class of ‘22 Ruling to Prepare for Specific Scenario

Ole Miss will look into all avenues once rulings are clear and will use it to its advantage if it has to.

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding looks on as the Rebels open fall camp practices on Thursday. | Ole Miss Athletics

OXFORD | Last week a federal court ruled that all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season in 2026-27. 

The preliminary injunction ruling from U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver, undercuts the NCAA's plan to have the so-called "five-for-five" rule go into play beginning with athletes who enroll in college in fall 2027. There is an expectation that it will be appealed.

The defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers are already making additions, with school officials clearing and bringing back two players that had previously ran out of eligibility. Neither had signed professional contracts of any kind.   

Will the ruling in Denver have an impact on what Ole Miss does ahead of the 2026 season?

Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Pete Golding looks on during warmups prior to the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff against the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to Pete Golding, he’s had those discussions with some players that would qualify under the new ruling. However, for now, they were more precautionary conversations while staying prepared for anything that may arise.

Realistically, it would take a significant injury for Ole Miss to go through the process of adding more to its already full roster.   

“I think under the guidelines that were already in place since I had taken the job we’ve managed this roster and this team based on those rules. I think the timing of this isn’t perfect to create a lot of opportunities for certain people when you already have a roster limit. There’s no new additions and umbrellas like they did with COVID or anything like that. Yes, obviously there was conversations with a couple of those guys from ‘22 that are in other camps,” Golding said following Thursday’s opening practice of fall camp.  

“Kind of talking what’s the health of those guys? What’s the status? What’s that look like? But more from a standpoint of if somebody was to get injured during camp and something became available, then you’d have a body to go to that’s actually been in this system and all those type of things. Our numbers are what they are right now and we’re where we need to be, but definitely there’s been conversations in case something was to occur that we would need to go that direction.”  

In the ever-changing world of college athletics, most head coaches can’t stay fully plugged in with every new ruling or development in their respective sport. That’s the case for the Rebels’ head coach. 

However, for Golding, that’s where senior associate athletics director for compliance Taylor Hall comes into play.  

“I think Taylor (Hall) does an unbelievable job in our compliance. He has a good feel of where things that are being talked about or floated out there that could be voted on in the future,” Golding explained. “‘Okay, that was to happen, what would be your stance on it?’ and all of those. There’s very few of them that actually get passed. I think the management of a roster and team, are you going to wait on that moment and actually leave space and it might not get passed? 

I’m always going to go based on what the rules are right now and have a plan for it if it does occur. But I think Taylor does a great job and Keith and all of those. We talk a lot about these in the head coach meetings. They get brought up, they’re not voted on yet, but they could potentially occur. I refer to Taylor on those in a lot of that and just like ‘Hey man, when this is real call me.’”

As of this week, Ole Miss’ official roster is updated with designations for the newly established NCAA age-based eligibility rules. Players on the roster are classified as Fr. (5yrs left), So. (4yrs left), Jr. (3yrs left), Sr. (2yrs left) and 5th year (final year). Their experience (0L, 1L, 2L, etc.) reflects the number of years they have participated and earned a letter at Ole Miss. True freshmen and transfers are listed as HS and TR experience, respectively.

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