T
he college football season is just a few months away, and one of the more intriguing teams to watch will be the Ole Miss Rebels.
After reaching the College Football Playoff and advancing to the semifinals without Lane Kiffin following his departure to LSU, the Rebels retained a plethora of talent as they look to make another deep postseason run. They also return with high expectations despite the coaching change. Ole Miss believes it has the roster to remain among the SEC’s top contenders.
Pete Golding now enters his first full season as the head coach in Oxford, and it appears the state has fully embraced him.
Archie Manning Endorses Golding
The Manning Passing Academy took place over the weekend, where Ole Miss legend Archie Manning shared his thoughts on Golding. Based on his comments, he has full confidence in Golding leading the Rebels program.
“Pete recruited Arch from Alabama, so Cooper and Ellen got to know Pete very well. … I like Pete. I knew he was a good defensive coordinator, and I’ve been impressed with the way he’s taken over a very unique and tough situation there,” Manning said. “The way he’s taken off, it seems to me people approve of what he’s doing, and we’re looking forward to hopefully a good year.”
“I like Pete… I’ve been impressed with how he’s taken over a very unique, tough situation.”
Ole Miss legend Archie Manning had high praise for Head Coach Pete Golding: pic.twitter.com/t2RcSZGC3j
— Matt DeGregorio (@Matt_DeGregorio) June 28, 2026
Golding’s Journey to Ole Miss
In 2018, Golding joined the Nick Saban coaching tree when Alabama hired him as its defensive coordinator.
He spent five seasons in Tuscaloosa and played a key role in some of the most dominant and successful teams in recent college football history.
Golding eventually left Alabama to move closer to home in Mississippi, accepting the defensive coordinator position on Lane Kiffin’s staff at Ole Miss.
Golding Didn’t Want to Follow Kiffin to LSU
A lot of the Rebels staff ended up following Kiffin to Baton Rouge, but Golding never even considered it.
That’s not why I came here,” Golding said. “This had been going on for two years, whether Lane was going to leave, even the Florida talk the year before. I was like, ‘Hey bro, I Iove you, but don’t get it twisted. I didn’t come here for you.’”
Ole Miss first named Golding its interim head coach for the Rebels’ CFP run before promoting him to the full-time role before the playoffs even began.
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