Ole Miss’ bitter fallout with Lane Kiffin reached a point where even office walls became suspect. After Kiffin left for LSU, the administration reportedly brought in the FBI amid fears of rival surveillance. Walker Jones even claimed he had to search his office for bugs on his knees. Now, offering some form of reassurance, Pete Golding is sending a clear message about the program’s safety.
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“Any bowl game, playoff system, obviously, you’re going to up security. I’m not sure that there was a hiring process of, ‘ Here we go with the FBI’. I do think we probably have a current player whose dad just so happens to work for the FBI, who lives in town; from that standpoint, there was no measure to go, oh my gosh, here comes in from that standpoint,” said Pete Golding in his conversation with the media.
Just a few days ago, Walker Jones, the executive director of Ole Miss’ exclusive NIL collective, revealed during his conversation with the Assorted Crackers podcast that Ole Miss was so concerned about LSU poaching its assistant coaches and staff members that the FBI was brought in to check the building for bugs.
While Golding clarified that they didn’t specifically hire the FBI, he acknowledged that they had reason to be cautious after multiple staff members departed for LSU following Kiffin.
“Any time you get in that Playoff system and you had guys from this building go to other places, you want to make sure it’s secure for your players,” Golding said.
Following Kiffin’s move to LSU, just six Rebels players, including transfer-bound Dae’Quan Wright, made the switch, while several former Ole Miss staff members also joined the Tigers.
According to Jones, to enhance security, the staff used separate text threads and restricted meetings, while coaches headed to LSU were asked to leave. Sensitive discussions remained undocumented, and nothing was written on the office boards.
“We knew kind of what was in Baton Rouge, and we knew how they operated. I remember getting on my knees and looking underneath the desk, like checking for, is there some sort of bug in my office?” said Jones.
The rivalry between Ole Miss and LSU reached a boiling point last year following Lane Kiffin’s controversial exit. Kiffin not only left for LSU but also brought Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. with him.
Although Weis continued coaching Ole Miss through the playoffs, his eventual departure was still viewed as a major poaching move by LSU. While Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss, Pete Golding proved to be the perfect replacement. Last season, he led the Rebels, and against all odds, Ole Miss defeated Kirby Smart’s Georgia in the CFP quarterfinal. However, their run ended against Miami.
Well, the rivalry between Ole Miss and LSU will resume on September 19, when both teams face each other for the first time since the coaching change. That said, who do you think will emerge victorious?