Nick Saban doesn’t do fluff. So when he sat down on The Pat McAfee Show and talked about what Ole Miss looks like under Pete Golding, people listened.
Golding takes over a program that went from SEC also-ran to playoff contender in about two years. Lane Kiffin left for LSU under a cloud of controversy before last season’s playoff run, and Golding stepped in. Now it’s his team, fully. And Saban, who coached Golding at Alabama, thinks the Rebels are in good hands.
“Pete Golding was an outstanding coach for us and he’s a good teacher,” Saban said. “He’s a players coach and the players love him. Ole Miss brought some good players in and I think they’re gonna do well.”
That’s about as direct as Saban gets without saying “they’ll win the SEC” which he didn’t. But he didn’t need to. The man built a dynasty on evaluating talent and coaching staffs. If he says Golding can do the job, that carries weight in a league where everybody’s looking for an edge.
What Golding inherits
Ole Miss surprised everyone last year. They won two playoff games. One of those wins came against a Georgia team that had been talked about as dynasty-caliber. Then they lost a tight game to Miami in the national semifinal. Not a blowout. A close, could’ve-gone-either-way loss.
The Rebels also managed to bring back quarterback Trinidad Chambliss after a long legal fight over his eligibility. That alone changes the math for 2026. Chambliss is one of the best quarterbacks in college football and his return means Golding doesn’t have to start from scratch on offense.
Golding’s challenge is different now though. The expectations are higher. Last year Ole Miss was playing with house money a little bit. Nobody picked them to beat Georgia. Now they’re a known quantity. Teams will prep for them differently. The element of surprise is gone.
What this says about the Kiffin situation
You can’t mention Golding without the Kiffin elephant in the room. Kiffin left for LSU in a way that rubbed a lot of people in Oxford the wrong way. Some fans still haven’t moved on. But the program moved on. They promoted from within, kept the roster mostly intact, and now they get to prove they’re more than just one coach’s pet project.
If Ole Miss wins big this year, it makes Kiffin look like he left a good thing. If they stumble, it validates his decision. Either way, there’s a storyline here that’ll follow both coaches all season.
Ole Miss opens September 6 against Louisville. That game will give an early indication of whether Saban’s confidence in Golding is well-placed or just loyalty talking.
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