Ole Miss Rebels coach Pete Golding on the stage at a press conference with Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal
Ole Miss Rebels coach Pete Golding on the stage at a press conference with Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal for the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. | Taylor Graham-HottyToddy.com Images

Pete Golding Adds Another LSU Piece to Ole Miss Recruiting Department

BY Taylor Hodges

Ole Miss added another interesting piece to its rebuilt recruiting department this week, and it’s a name that’ll turn heads for more than one reason.

As first reported by OMSpirit’s Zach Berry and On3’s Pete Nakos, the Rebels are hiring LSU support and operations assistant Patrick Kelly.

Yes, that Kelly. Patrick is the son of Brian Kelly, the former LSU and Notre Dame head coach. And yes, this is another LSU‑to‑Ole Miss staff addition in the last few months, joining Frank Wilson and Jai Choudhary.

For a program that had to overhaul its entire recruiting operation after Lane Kiffin left for Baton Rouge, the pattern is hard to miss.

Patrick Kelly’s résumé is also part of the appeal.

He got his start at Grand Valley State working with quarterbacks, then spent two years at LSU as an offensive graduate assistant focused on tight ends. From there he moved into recruiting, first as a specialist and then as a support and operations assistant.

During that stretch, LSU stacked three straight top‑10 high school classes and signed the No. 1 transfer class for 2025.

Kelly wasn’t the face of those efforts, but he was in the room helping build them. Now Pete Golding will hope he can continue to make that impact in Oxford.

That matters for Ole Miss right now. The Rebels are in the thick of the 2027 cycle, which is shaping up to be one of the most important high school classes they’ve chased in years.

They’ve recently landed four‑star corner Taelyn Mayo and three‑star corner Mason Moore, and more additions to the Rebels’ 2027 signing class are expected soon.

It’s an intriguing hire, both for the name and the timing.

Ole Miss needs momentum on the high school trail, and Kelly has spent the last few years helping build exactly the kind of classes the Rebels want to chase.

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