Pete Golding's First Season Will Be Defined by One Choice He Already Made

Pete Golding is going into his first full season as a head coach.

He will be in charge of the Rebels' defense and has put former Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator John David Baker in charge of one of the most explosive offenses in the country.

Baker will be following up with Charlie Weis Jr., who is now one of the top ten highest-paid assistant coaches in the country. Baker will have to execute his offense against a lot of tough defenses.

Baker’s Background

Offensive coordinator John David Baker speaks at Ole Miss “Meet the Rebels” | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Baker first made it to Ole Miss in 2021. He spent three years as the tight ends coach. He learned from two of the game's best offensive minds in Weis and former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin.

After the 2023 season, Baker accepted the offensive coordinator position at East Carolina University. ECU was a rough fixer-upper. They were one of the worst offenses in the country the year before Baker's arrival.

In 2024, he flipped the script. He turned them into a top-30 offense in the country that averaged 436 yards per game. The Pirates went 8-5 and beat NC State in their bowl game.

Then in 2025, he led ECU to a 9-4 record with his offense finishing in the top 15 for total offense in the country.

Baker took one of the worst offenses in college football and turned it into one of the best. He can now take what he learned from ECU and apply it to a much better offense at Ole Miss.

How Baker's offense will define the season

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss reacts with running back Kewan Lacy after a touchdown run during the first quarter against the Florida Gators | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Baker has a lot to live up to this season. The Rebels were one of the top 10 offenses in the country last season, and Ole Miss fans are expecting nothing short of that again this year.

Luckily for Baker, he has the best backfield in the nation. Baker's offensive style will be executed by quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who finished eighth in Heisman voting last year and is picked as a favorite to win it this year.

That backfield also includes Kewan Lacy, who was a Doak Walker finalist last year and has a great shot to win it this season.

Baker clearly has the weapons for a high-powered offense, but he is going to run it a little differently compared to last year. This year's offense will still keep its tempo, but it will focus more on establishing the run game.

If this is run the right way, it could create an even better Ole Miss offense. Lacy being back will really help create a solid run game for the Rebels.

In addition, this year there will be other running backs to hand the ball to, so Lacy can be fresher later in games and later in the season. This type of run-heavy offense can quickly tire out defenses and create opportunities for play-action passes.

The Rebels offense will win games for Ole Miss this year by tiring out opponents defenses.

Pete Golding is facing a lot of pressure this season after last year's success. Baker will help relieve the pressure and will run one of the best offenses in college football this season.

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