Ole Miss is gearing up for one of the biggest games in program history. And defensive coordinator-turned-head coach Pete Golding is leading the charge. The Rebels will face Miami and head coach Mario Cristobal in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl. This matchup pits two programs with massive momentum against each other. Golding has been tasked with keeping the Rebels focused despite the chaos swirling around college football. In his pre-game press conference, Golding didn’t hold back. He addressed everything from missing coaches to Nick Saban’s influence to the constant tampering that defines modern college football.

Pete Golding’s opening statement

“We’re excited to be here, excited for the opportunity that our players created for themselves. Really good time at Ole Miss, playing against an unbelievable team. I have a lot of respect for Coach Cristobal and everything he’s done throughout his career. He always has his teams ready to play and is a guy that I’ve admired for a long time. And they’re playing at a really high level, so we know we’ve got a big challenge. We appreciate the Fiesta Bowl Committee; they’ve been very welcoming since we’ve been here, and we’re excited for a really good opportunity versus a really good football team. 

Pete Golding on the staff available for the Fiesta Bowl 

Yeah, so we have John Garrison, our offensive line coach, who we have had all year, and we have a running back coach, Kevin Smith, who we have had all year, and our offensive coordinator, who calls the plays. He’s been here all year. Joe Cox is not here, and George McDonald’s not here, receivers and tight ends. And that’s been something that’s been coming the whole time, right? There has been constant communication; they have another job that pays them, and they have a responsibility. And at this time, the way the calendar is now, they have 35 guys that are in the portal, and they have to build a team. So, obviously, do they want to be here? You’re damn right, they do all right, but again, the situation is that they’ve got a job to do, and they’ve got to build a team where they’re at and where their window is right now. 

Pete Golding on the chaos of this season

Every year is pretty chaotic…you find a way. You’re not looking for excuses…you’re looking for solutions. I come from D2. We had six coaches. I walked into the offensive room this morning, and there were nine guys who’ve been here all year. There were 13 guys, and nine of them have been here all year. We have enough guys to go out and coach who know the system and how to do it the right way. I haven’t gotten caught up in all the other things… Oxford speaks for itself. Ole Miss speaks for itself…a lot of people recruit on tradition. We recruit on trajectory.

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Pete Golding on his message to Lane Kiffin 

Yeah, I don’t have a message for anybody else. I think our team had a message. They have a message about how they prepare and how they play. And I do think that the message is I am replaceable, and you are replaceable. Our players are replaceable, but I think you want to build a program that’s heading in the right direction, and one person, one player, won’t derail that. There’s too much investment in that, and it’s been aligned correctly so that one person won’t impact something so drastically.

If it is, it’s probably not built right. If one coach in any sport can determine the outcome of it. He probably didn’t have a great staff, and if one player can determine the outcome of it, we probably didn’t create depth… I don’t think the players give a damn who runs out the tunnel… I don’t have shit to say to anybody else.

Pete Golding on what he learnt from Nick Saban

I’ve learned so much from Coach Saban, but the No. 1 thing from a program standpoint is, I think, he did an unbelievable job hiring unbelievable people. He didn’t care where they came from. He wanted the best person for the job, who would create the most value for his players. That’s the first thing I did when I took over: I wanted to hire smart people to work with me, and I think he’s the best I’ve come across in holding people accountable. It was very black and white. There was no grey. Here’s the expectation. Here’s your job description. You do your job, and we’ll be good. So, from an organizational standpoint, holding people accountable and hiring good people was the thing for me.

Pete Golding on the pressure of player retention

I think it happens all year long; it’s a competition. People try to win, so a lot of people will do anything that it takes to win, regardless of what it is morally. We have always had to deal with that. If you are a really good player or a really good coach, people want you. So that’s been something that has been going on for a while, but I think it goes back to the focus of the player and the coaches on the task at hand.

And that’s been my message to all the guys I’ve said, “Look, guys, let’s figure out 2026 after whatever the last game is.” And everybody has a responsibility for themselves and their families. If there is another place that they can go to increase the value. Then that’s better for them, but right now, you created a unique opportunity for yourself, so I think the big thing is departmentalizing things into days. So, when we are in the building, it’s ball. We’re going to give you some time off. If you wanna talk to your agent, go talk to your agent, happens at every level, so I think the focus in our building when we are practicing is on the right things.