There hasn’t been a long history of opportunities for a coach and program to be in the position Ole Miss and Pete Golding found themselves in.
A head coach of a playoff-bound team leaving for another non-playoff bound team and a defensive coordinator promoted to his first-ever head coaching job? It was inevitably going to happen, but that didn’t lessen the shock of watching it actually happen.
It’s a difficult, unprecedented spot for Golding that’s earned the respect of his opposing counterpart this week.
“A lot of respect for what Pete’s done. It’s a little unique,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “Through the years, he’s done a tremendous job defensively. Got an opportunity now to kind of form and mold a program in his eyes and how he wants to do it.
“He’s been around some really good ones, I know that, and very different leaders in the guys he’s been around. So, it allows you to grow when you’re around different kind of leadership styles like he’s been around.”
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Golding has seen great programs at multiple different levels. He was the defensive coordinator for some of Delta State’s best seasons, was part of the staff that put UTSA on the rise and was part of the Alabama dynasty under Nick Saban.
He’s seen plenty of good examples to follow in Oxford and he’ll see another one Thursday night in the Sugar Bowl.
“Whatever you’re in, you’re looking at who does it the best and who’s done it the best on a consistent basis,” Golding said sitting a mere few feet away from Smart. “And there’s no doubt these last several years it’s been Georgia. That was the same thing for the ‘Bama run with coach Saban. Every offseason when you’re at Bama, every coaching staff comes in, everybody wants to know what the hell you’re doing different and all those types of things.”
Maybe one day coaches will come to Oxford and ask those questions, but that time will come later. For now, Golding has kept things “rolling” as they have been all season long.
“Like coach Smart already said, this thing is already rolling. It wasn’t like we’re taking over and we’re starting fresh. At that point, we were 11-1,” Golding said. “Everything was headed in the right direction. We’ve got really good players and good systems that have been in place. We’ve got a good staff.
“At that point, it was just trying to keep it together and get back to the routine as fast as possible and get back to ball. It wasn’t about changing everything. It wasn’t about my opinion at that point.”
There have been some small changes – players have more freedom with their cleats and there’s no longer a basketball hoop on the sideline – but Golding said any changes were decided by the players.
“If anything has been changed since then, it’s been through the Players Council and it’s been voted on by the players because it’s their team,” Golding said. “We’ve added a couple of things that we felt like helped us through them, and we took away a couple of things that don’t affect winning or losing. But that wasn’t my decision in the entirety. That was also the Players Council decision.”
If you want a preview of the type of program Golding will build in Oxford, it’s in that last quote. It’s the player’s team, not Golding’s.
But that’s for the future. Now, we’re just waiting for kickoff Thursday in New Orleans.
“It’s going to be a great game,” Smart said. “I think you’re looking at two of the premier programs and two of the premier teams in college football. Two teams that earned their right to this game. Excited to get these kids out there and go let them play.”
We’re excited too, about the game and the future of Ole Miss football.
