Pete Golding’s wife Carolyn has Ole Miss ties with no Layla Kiffin drama

Pete Golding is leading the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday in the school’s first College Football Playoff game in Oxford, Mississippi, after the shocking departure of Lane Kiffin to the LSU Tigers. His wife — and not Layla Kiffin — is now in the Ole Miss spotlight following all the drama.

At the end of November, Lane left the school after six years, causing Rebels fans to melt down over his departure. Despite Lane wanting to stay and coach the CFP vs. the Tulane Green Wave, Ole Miss was never allowing that to happen.

Lane Kiffi — Not seeing Kiffin on the sidelines for Ole Miss on Saturday is on odd sight. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Saturday, coach Kiffin had an obnoxious Ole Miss post before his old team took the field. No doubt he’ll have a lot to say as the day goes on.

Lane also made a lot of headlines with his reconciled wife Layla, whom he was married to for 12 years before divorcing in 2016. While she was a hit at Ole Miss games like her denim cowgirl look at Oklahoma, she no doubt factored into his decision to leave and was part of the soap opera like when she was spotted beforehand taking a private jet to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Now that that’s all over, Golding, who was the defensive coordinator under Kiffin, was promoted to head coach.

"Ole Miss Football is special. Since the day I arrived, I've felt the passion, pride and unwavering support of Rebel Nation,” Golding said after it was announced. “This is a place where expectations are high, and football is woven into the fabric of the community. Our mission moving forward is clear: we will play with toughness, discipline and relentless effort in everything we do. We will recruit at the highest level, develop our players on and off the field, and compete every single day to bring championships to Oxford. Most importantly, we will represent this university with class and integrity.

Ole Miss head football coach Pete Golding speaks at a press conference at the Manning Center at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. on Thursday, December 11, 2025. | Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

His wife went to Ole Miss

The school is also special because his wife Carolyn, a Mississippi native, graduated from it in 2007 with a degree in accounting, and then earned a Master’s in Tax in 2008, followed by a Doctorate degree from the law school in 2011.