Lately, more people outside of the Ole Miss football program have been talking about Ole Miss and not always in the greatest of lights.
Former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin continues to talk about his former school and town, referring to the university’s history around race and civil rights, among other things. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian made his comment about basket weaving at Ole Miss.
But we haven’t heard much from those currently inside the program.
Until now.
The SEC is holding its annual spring meetings in Destin, Fla. with presidents, chancellors, athletic directors and coaches all descending upon the sandy beaches.
That includes Ole Miss coach Pete Golding who, unsurprisingly, was asked about the recent comments from his peers and the ongoing NCAA tampering investigation. Just as unsurprisingly, Golding’s answers were hit the right tone and message.
In regards to the NCAA investigation, Golding declined to comment on USA Today’s report that he “informed the NCAA he will expose rampant tampering in the sport if sanctioned, a person close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports.”
Golding did, however, address the overall college football landscape where tampering is so rampant and widespread there were reports last November, nearly two months before the transfer portal window opened, of lots of tampering already taking place.
“I think a lot of things make headlines,” Golding said. “There’s a lot more people involved that everybody might not know. I’m not gonna sit up here and say whatever we did or we didn’t do, was it right or was it wrong? But, you know, when you go through what we went through (with tampering), and what you’re seeing day-in and day-out, some things you feel like shouldn’t matter that, you know, they’re making a big deal about.”
As for what Golding’s peers said about him and Ole Miss, the answers were more light-hearted and jovial.
“It’s a hard thing to do. Have you ever tried it?” he asked one reporter about basket weaving.
Who knows what Kiffin or Sarkisian would’ve said in Golding’s place if the roles were reversed. Maybe they go on the attack. Or maybe they have their fun, light-hearted answer.
Did Steve Sarkisian reach out to Pete Golding after the basket weaving comments?
Yes.
Did Lane call Pete Golding after the Vanity Fair piece?
“Lane hits me up every day. I get 12 text messages a day from Lane. What I decide to look at..Nah, we’re good” pic.twitter.com/N9OSD8HpIf
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) May 27, 2026
“Honestly, from an academic standpoint, I don’t have to sit up here (and talk) about what Ole Miss does and all that,” Golding said. “I don’t think anybody has to defend that.
“I think that was a little out of context. Obviously, Sark hit me right after that happened. It was a month prior. The timing of it kind of piggybacked the other one or whatever like that. But no, I know everybody there. (Sarkisian) hit me as soon as it went public. This was a month ago with no point intended. Like we all heard the basket weaving deal growing up and all that type of stuff.”
He is right that what Sarkisian wasn’t said recently and the Longhorns’ coach may not have had any purpose behind saying it beyond explaining the challenges recruiting players to Texas.
But welcome to the internet Sarkisian where everything you do and say is preserved forever (Kiffin knows this all too well).
Golding also relayed what Sarkisian said to him about the “basket weaving” comment.
“He said he was just trying to talk about Texas and how hard it was and all that type of stuff,” Golding said. “I told him I appreciate it. I said, I don’t know if I would transfer I’d much rather take basket weaving than biology. So, I appreciate your help and your support.”
It’s a funny end to the story, but also shows how Golding handles the outside noise coming from places and sites like the one you’re on right now. It’s the laid-back, jovial nature Golding had when talking about the comments that makes him a likeable coach.
He handled the Kiffin comments in much of the same way.
“Lane (Kiffin) hits me up every day. I get 12 text messages a day from Lane,” Golding said with a laugh. “What do I decide to look at? I was not looking at that one, but no, we’re good.
“There’s a Lane side for us that we’re buddies and are friends. And then there’s a professional side that I have to get on his ass about a little bit sometimes.”
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding, on recent comments made by Lane Kiffin
“Anybody that’s been to Oxford knows that’s not where we’re at right now”
“There’s a Lane side to us where we’re buddies and friends, then a professional side that I have to get on his ass sometimes” pic.twitter.com/yr9mlRHfyu
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) May 27, 2026
Golding and Kiffin may be buddies, but Kiffin and Ole Miss fans are certainly not. From how he left to the things he’s said and done since leaving, Kiffin isn’t going to get a warm welcome to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 19.
To his credit, Kiffin has brought a lot of that on himself and saying it was a struggle to recruit players to Ole Miss because of it and Oxford’s history probably just increased the number of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls thrown at him when LSU comes to town.
But Golding’s response to those comments was the right one.
“I think anybody that’s been to Oxford knows that’s not where we’re at right now,” Golding said. “I’ve lived all over the Southeast. We all got our own issues. But I think the biggest thing is making sure people come to Oxford and see it for themselves. So, you really don’t have to respond to it.”
Golding and Ole Miss have remained mostly silent while people outside the program continue to disparage it. He didn’t have an official press conference at the SEC Meetings, either, so if a group of reporters didn’t catch him in a lobby, we might not have heard Golding’s response until SEC Media Days in July.
But they did and we heard what Golding had to say.
If it’s the last word on the matter, Golding will come out looking even better than before.
