Former Cardinals Coach Officially Takes Ole Miss Job

The Arizona Cardinals' coaching fallout has begun.

Dec 3, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Arizona Cardinals defensive backs coach Patrick Toney looks on against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

ARIZONA — It's officially, official.

After rumors swirled of Arizona Cardinals DB coach Patrick Toney taking the Ole Miss defensive coordinator job, the school officially announced it today:

Welcome to Oxford‼️

Ole Miss officially hires Patrick Toney as Defensive Coordinator#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/2ZTgxLypvt

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) January 7, 2026

More on Patrick Toney

Toney has spent the last three seasons in Arizona as the Cardinals' defensive backs coach after Jonathan Gannon brought him on in 2023.

Toney does have extensive coaching experience in the college ranks, however, so it made sense to go back — especially with Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, who he's served under in two different stops.

Golding steps in for Lane Kiffin, who departed for LSU while creating some ripple effects across the college football landscape.

He also has defensive coordinator experience at the SEC level after serving as Florida's co-defensive coordinator before Gannon brought him to Arizona.

With Gannon being fired, Toney would have needed to find work elsewhere anyways — though he returns to a familiar staff at the college level.

He wasn't the only Cardinals assistant coach to head back to school, as defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III will be heading to Michigan State to coach the same unit.

Toney oversaw a Cardinals' defensive backs room that dealt with injuries in 2025. Budda Baker made Pro Bowls in all three seasons Toney was on staff while late-round picks in Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Kitan Crawford developed nicely under his watch, too.

Cardinals Coaching Search Continues

We're still in the early stages of the Cardinals' search for a new leader after firing Gannon, and there's been a plethora of names requested in the early stages of their search:

Ex-Falcons HC Raheem Morris, Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak, 49ers DC Robert Saleh, Broncos DC Vance Joseph, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver and Patriots PGC Thomas Brown.

John Harbaugh is also a potential option, too.

"We were going in the wrong direction, it seemed like. It came down to wins and losses. We've won one game since week two of the NFL season, and it just felt like it had gotten too far, and it was just time to go in a different direction," said Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill on why Gannon was fired.

"It simply gets down to wins and losses. I don't want to look through every play or every game or everything along those lines. At the end of the day, it's pretty simple. It boils down to wins and losses, and we let too many of them get away."