OXFORD, Miss. (AP) 鈥� As Pete Golding prepares to make his head-coaching debut for Ole Miss in a high-stakes game, he鈥檚 pushing the message that the Rebels are “focused on the mission, not the man.鈥�
That 鈥渕an鈥� is former coach Lane Kiffin, the brazen architect of the Rebels’ dynamic, high-octane offense.
Kiffin lobbied to keep coaching Ole Miss in the postseason even after , but Mississippi sent him packing on Nov. 30. That set in motion that the No. 6 seed Rebels have been forced to confront even as they prepare to host 11th-seeded in a on Saturday.
Several key offensive assistants 鈥� including coordinator Charlie Weiss, tight ends coach Joe Cox and receivers coaches George McDonald and Sawyer Jordan 鈥� have decided to follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge.
However, Weiss has been permitted to remain with the Rebels through the CFP, offering some measure of stability for the offense.
鈥淪uper excited,” Golding said when practices resumed this week. “Energy and effort have never been an issue with our group.
鈥淎ll the pieces are in place to be consistent,” Golding added. “The practice is really the easiest piece to control.鈥�
The Rebels have averaged 37 points and 498 yards of total offense per game this season under Kiffin.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has accounted for 3,500 yards of total offense, with Kewan Lacy adding 20 touchdowns on 258 carries for 1,279 yards. Eight different receivers have accounted for at least 15 receptions apiece.
It remains to be seen whether Ole Miss can sustain that kind of production in the postseason 鈥� without Kiffin鈥檚 demonstrated knack for recognizing advantageous moments to call a given play.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a lot of success in this system. We鈥檝e done well with it here,” Golding said. 鈥淚 love everything about it and know what issues it causes for defenses.
鈥淣either team is going to try to reinvent the wheel at this point,鈥� Golding said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be who they are.鈥�
In addition to the usual work of preparing for a game, Golding quickly hired three offensive coaches, including John David Baker, a former Ole Miss staffer, as offensive coordinator for next season.
The defensive staff will remain intact.
The multitasking for Golding hasn’t stopped with managing staff changes. Golding also has had to work on roster retention, particularly on offense.
Several receivers, along with Lacy and Chambliss, are widely seen as potential transfer portal targets of other teams.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about retention of your roster and stability. Players want to know who they鈥檙e going to play for,鈥� Golding said. 鈥淭hey want to know the schemes aren鈥檛 going to change.鈥�
That’s why Golding wanted incoming coaches like Baker, who doesn’t officially start until 2026, at Ole Miss football headquarters and available to talk to current players now.
“It鈥檚 really important to get those guys around our players before the portal opens鈥� in January, Golding said. 鈥淏eing available from a relationship standpoint, meet them, talk to them, so they have a really good idea about them.鈥�
Chambliss is awaiting a decision on a waiver status application that would allow an additional year of eligibility.
鈥淚t would be great to get another year, but right now that decision is in God鈥檚 parking lot,鈥� Chambliss said.
In the meantime, Chambliss is preparing for a better version of Tulane than he saw last time, when he passed for 307 yards and rushed for 112 in a .
鈥淭ulane is a tough team, really physical on defense,” Chambliss said of the , who’ve been led by . 鈥淭hey鈥檙e rolling right now. They just won their conference and we expect them to be at their best.鈥�
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