Ole Miss entered the week with a playoff game on the horizon and a new head coach trying to keep the season from wobbling.
Pete Golding, moved up from defensive coordinator after Lane Kiffin left for LSU, got a bit of stability Monday when special teams coordinator Jake Schoonover agreed to an extension.
Golding has spent much of his first days on the job trying to keep the Rebels from looking like a program in mid-flight.
Losing a head coach at 11-1 is strange enough. Losing him to an SEC rival before a playoff run adds another twist.
But Golding has made a point to keep key staff members, and Schoonover is the latest to say yes.
Schoonover was a target for others, including Kiffin and Missouri. Even former Ole Miss general manager Billy Glasscock pushed to bring him elsewhere.
Media reports have said Schoonover chose what worked best for his family. In a season full of shifts, that kind of clear decision gives the Rebels a small win.
Golding has so far retained the entire defensive staff. Offensive line coach John Garrison recently signed a two-year deal to stay.
All on-field assistants are set to guide the Rebels into the postseason. For a team trying to manage chaos and still prepare for Tulane, that matters.
The sixth-seeded Rebels face No. 11 Tulane on December 20, a 2:30 p.m. game that will air on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
It may be a new era, but the season still has a chance to end in a way fans have not seen since the 1960s.
Staff changes loom even as playoff begins
Golding is still operating in a world with moving parts. Several assistants are expected to join Kiffin at LSU when the Rebels’ season ends.
Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., running backs coach Kevin Smith, tight ends coach Joe Cox and wide receivers coach George McDonald are all planning the jump.
Weis Jr. could remain with Ole Miss, but reports say he has agreed to a three-year deal with LSU. Bringing him back would require a 300% buyout. That number alone tells you how complicated this transition has become.
Even as he manages this situation, Golding has been clear the system that helped make Ole Miss a national contender is staying. He made that point again this week.
That should be the best news of all to Rebel fans.
“When you acquire really good coaches, they’re going to have other opportunities that are better opportunities for them and their family,” Golding said. “You want them continuing to grow. So, now we’re going to have young coaches under them as well so that our systems don’t change.”
He also stressed that changing something that works makes little sense.
“I’m not changing a system that has put us in the position that we’re at,” Golding said.
He knows the players were recruited to fit the current approach, and the Rebels have “really good coaches on our staff that coach that system.”
Golding emphasizes continuity as message
Golding’s message has been simple and steady to keep the scheme, keep the players confident and keep winning.
“Continuing to recruit really good players and put them in the system and having a really good quarterback like we always have,” he said. “Play good defense and win a bunch of football games.”
That theme seems to be a major reason someone like Schoonover stayed. Golding and the Rebels beat out pushes from Kiffin and Missouri.
The promise of continuity, plus a family-friendly decision, kept him in Oxford for the playoff run.
Other staff pieces are also coming into view. Recruiting staffer Kelvin Bolden is expected to return. Ole Miss could bring back Austin Thomas to replace Glasscock as general manager.
Thomas previously left the Rebels for LSU, adding more SEC-level drama to a coaching web that already feels crowded.
Athletics director Keith Carter said last week that the biggest priority was stabilizing the staff for the playoff.
“Obviously, first priority over the last few days was, ‘Hey, let’s solidify this playoff staff,’” Carter said. “What is this going to look like? Who’s going to call the plays?”
Carter said Weis Jr., Garrison, Smith and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge form a solid offensive group for this postseason.
“The defensive side of the ball is strong,” Carter said. He believes Golding’s defensive assistants “are ready to roll.”
Balancing transition and postseason pressure
For all the movement, the Rebels still have a playoff game to prepare for. Golding is trying to win now and build later.
Schoonover’s extension may not grab national attention, but it signals something the program needed: a coach choosing to stay during a moment when many are leaving.
If the Rebels want to make the kind of January run they believe is possible, keeping the structure together matters.
Golding probably has decided the best path forward is steady hands, familiar faces and the same system that got them here.
Key Takeaways
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Jake Schoonover agreed to an extension, giving the Rebels needed stability.
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Pete Golding plans to keep the offensive and defensive systems in place.
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Several assistants will depart after the playoff, but the postseason staff is intact.
