OXFORD, Miss. — There likely won’t be another assistant coaching hire that will make a splash as big as the one Ole Miss coach Pete Golding made when he brought in LSU interim Frank Wilson into the fold.
Wilson came to an agreement with the Rebels Dec. 16 after he and new LSU coach Lane Kiffin weren’t able to find a way to keep him on staff in Baton Rouge. He will serve as running backs coach, a position he’s held at multiple schools with a strong track record as a recruiter.
“We just couldn’t come to a conclusion,” Wilson said Friday. “We had options on the table. Coach [Lane Kiffin] was awesome. I have no qualms with him and he’s going to do an outstanding job.”
“Coach Kiffin was absolutely awesome the entire time, in wanting to find a way to work it out. We didn’t come to that resolution.”
Frank Wilson on not remaining with @LSUfootball and moving on to @OleMissFB. #LSU @Lane_Kiffin @TexasBowl pic.twitter.com/uIfrALtomr
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) December 26, 2025
Following the firing of Brian Kelly, Wilson was promoted to his interim coaching role Oct. 27 and will lead the Tigers for the fifth and final team in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl Saturday, Dec. 27 against No. 21 Houston.
“We talked about it,” Wilson said in a press conference ahead of the Texas Bowl. “We talked about ways that it could work out. Coach Kiffin was absolutely awesome the entire time in wanting to try and find a way to work it out. We didn’t come to that resolution, and so there were other opportunities out there.”
Wilson, Golding Relationship
Wilson went on to talk about his relationship with Golding that dates back decades and feels like Ole Miss gives him an opportunity to flourish in the SEC.
“Pete Golding is a guy who I’ve known for many years, from the time he concluded playing college football and was a young coach at Delta State Southeastern and then Southern Miss of course. Then, I had an opportunity to hire him back at UTSA. We’ve forged an even closer bond and mutual respect professional for one another, so when the opportunity came, he extended himself to me and I thought it was a great fit for myself and my family.”
Ole Miss will return to the gridiron on New Year’s Day against No. 3 seed Georgia Bulldogs in the second round of the College Football Playoffs at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN.
