One of the best traits about Pete Golding, at least for us in the media, is that he’s never afraid to speak his mind or say something that isn’t coach speak.
Monday’s press conference contained one such instance.
“We all know there’s other conversations going on, so we definitely want to stay ahead of the game.”
That was Golding answering a question about when does the program start working on retaining players for the 2027 season.
Other conversations.
That’s certainly an interesting way of putting it.
Just last week, we discussed how college football’s annual transfer portal tampering season is already underway, even though the portal won’t open until January.
On3’s Pete Nakos reported that agents, players’ families and college football front offices are already discussing potential transfers and opportunities for next season.
Some of those conversations are perfectly legitimate. Others could venture into territory the NCAA considers tampering.
Golding didn’t accuse anybody of breaking the rules Monday. He didn’t need to.
His acknowledgment that those conversations are happening elsewhere was a reminder that coaches understand exactly how modern college football operates.
And Ole Miss is already preparing for it.
Golding explained that the Rebels’ front office, led by general manager Austin Thomas, provides weekly reports evaluating player retention, production, performance and the value of the program’s investments.
“Yeah, I think daily,” Golding said when asked when preparations for next season begin. “But we have weekly reports based on retention and value of guys that you’ve invested in, and what’s their production and their performance look like up to this point. So that’s constant. That’s every week.”
Think about that.
While the coaching staff is preparing for Auburn, trying to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive and figuring out what went wrong against Texas, there’s another group evaluating which players Ole Miss needs to keep for next season.
And, just as importantly, how much those players might be worth.
That’s why those weekly evaluations matter.
Ole Miss can’t afford to wait until December to determine which players it wants back, which ones might command more money and how much the program is willing to invest in keeping them.
By then, some players might already be considering opportunities elsewhere.
Having those evaluations ready allows Ole Miss to move quickly when it’s time to negotiate or finalize retention deals rather than scrambling to determine a player’s value after learning he might leave.
And that time is approaching faster than some fans realize.
The transfer portal won’t officially open until Jan. 4, but we could be only a few weeks away from the first players announcing their intentions to transfer.
After all, agents and families are reportedly already testing the market in October. Does anybody really believe those conversations will suddenly stop until January?
Golding certainly doesn’t seem to be operating under that assumption.
“I think a lot of those conversations with guys that have the ability to come back start earlier than they used to,” Golding said.
That’s the challenge facing every major college football program now.
Recruiting good players is one thing. Developing them is another. Keeping them after they’ve demonstrated their value might be the toughest part of all.
It’s still October. Ole Miss has an Auburn game to prepare for Saturday and plenty left to accomplish this season.
But behind the scenes, the work of building next year’s team has already begun.
Because in modern college football, waiting until the transfer portal opens to start worrying about your roster might be the quickest way to lose it.
