Ole Miss found itself in a rare mix of triumph and turmoil on Sunday. The Rebels under Lane Kiffin had just wrapped an 11-win regular season, held a firm grip on a College Football Playoff berth, and looked like a program climbing toward its peak. Soon, they were a program in transition, again.
Kiffin’s departure for LSU ended a six-year run that reshaped Ole Miss football. He leaves Oxford with a 55–19 record, a revitalized recruiting footprint, and the kind of national relevance the school hadn’t enjoyed in years.
But he also left at the moment of highest stakes, with the Rebels preparing for their biggest postseason stage of the modern era. The move left players stunned and the program scrambling. It also immediately thrust defensive coordinator Pete Golding into the lead role.
Golding, long viewed as a future head coach, was elevated within hours and stepped into the team meeting room for the first time as the man in charge. And he seemingly took a shot at Kiffin for leaving Ole Miss at such a time.
According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, Golding addressed the team with a sharp message.
“We’ve got enough in this room to win it all,” Golding said. “Don’t get this twisted, we’re about to go to work.”
In his first words to his new team, Pete Golding said, “We’ve got enough in this room to win it all. … Don’t get this twisted – we’re about to go to work!”
He said he’s “never been around a better group” of players and staff than this one.
Lane Kiffin was not present.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 30, 2025
He followed it by telling the players he’d “never been around a better group” of players and staff. Kiffin wasn’t there. The timing, the tone, and the target were hard to miss. Whether intentional or not, Golding’s opening line sounded like both reassurance and a pointed reminder that the program still has everything it needs, even without the coach who led it here.
Lane Kiffin Wanted to Coach Through the Playoffs
Before leaving, Kiffin released a statement explaining his decision and revealing internal friction with athletic director Keith Carter. Kiffin said in his statement that he had hoped to finish the season and lead Ole Miss into the playoff run.
But, according to him, athletic director Keith Carter denied the request, even as players had pushed for Kiffin to stay and coach them through the postseason.
“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong, and investing everything into a playoff run with guardrails in place to protect the program in any areas of concern,” Kiffin wrote in his statement.
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 30, 2025
He wrote that Friday’s Egg Bowl became his final game because he was not permitted to continue with the team. Despite the abrupt ending, he thanked the program, expressed pride in the six-year run, and said he’d be rooting for Ole Miss to finish what they started.
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