Pete Golding accepted the Ole Miss defensive coordinator job on Friday, leaving the same position at Alabama after five seasons. He also coached inside linebackers for the Crimson Tide. Chris Partridge was the Ole Miss defensive coordinator in 2022 and has been with Lane Kiffin throughout the three years in Oxford.
Overall, and this is an obvious one, it's an upgrade for Ole Miss at defensive coordinator. The Rebels improved greatly in 2021 under DJ Durkin and Partridge but everything was just a little off in 2022. Considering how much they were on the field, the defense wasn't awful -- finishing 75th in total defense and 57th in scoring defense. Ole Miss' offense, especially related to how the roster is built, was more of the issue with the fall off in the second half of the season. The Rebels have to get better on defense though, and Golding is a quality mix of recruiter and coach.
Golding was one of the Tide's top recruiters in his five seasons in Tuscaloosa, and while having Alabama on the chest helps, he earned a lot of respect in the industry and elevates the Rebels' overall recruiting areas, especially in the parts of the country that are most needed. Partridge is also an excellent recruiter, so this net gain is smaller than some other areas of the position, but the recruiting chops from an area standpoint being in the Southeast should provide more consistent boosts to the Rebels. He has a lot of Mississippi knowledge and wanted to be back in the state. He served two tenures at Delta State and was also at Southern Miss.
While he was a Broyles Award finalist and won a national title at Alabama, a lot of people point toward his work at UTSA as evidence of his schematic ability and coaching superlatives. The Roadrunners were excellent defensively under him, and he helped Marcus Davenport greatly elevate his stock.
Sources indicate Golding will have a major hand in filling defensive staff vacancies. There's some Bryan Brown buzz floating around, but he was just introduced officially yesterday as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati. College football is weird and people leave quickly sometimes, but I was told it would take a hell of a package thrown at him and even then it's not certain. He wouldn't have the keys to himself like he does at Cincinnati. I wouldn't be optimistic here, but it can be a dumb sport.
Nick Saban said this about Golding during the season.
"I think Pete has done a really, really good job," coach Nick Saban said in 2022. "He's very bright. He articulates well with the players. He's a good teacher. I think he's a good motivator. He's done a very good job with the personnel that we have. I just really appreciate the really good job that he's done. I think he's made really positive steps every year since he's been here. I love hiring younger guys like that and letting them grow and develop in the organization. He's certainly done a fantastic job of that."
Ole Miss needs more depth on the defensive side and then to utilize that depth -- especially in the front seven. That's been a specialty for Golding during his tenure. Golding was looking for a change and wanted to be at Ole Miss. Now the work begins.
Overall, and this is an obvious one, it's an upgrade for Ole Miss at defensive coordinator. The Rebels improved greatly in 2021 under DJ Durkin and Partridge but everything was just a little off in 2022. Considering how much they were on the field, the defense wasn't awful -- finishing 75th in total defense and 57th in scoring defense. Ole Miss' offense, especially related to how the roster is built, was more of the issue with the fall off in the second half of the season. The Rebels have to get better on defense though, and Golding is a quality mix of recruiter and coach.
Golding was one of the Tide's top recruiters in his five seasons in Tuscaloosa, and while having Alabama on the chest helps, he earned a lot of respect in the industry and elevates the Rebels' overall recruiting areas, especially in the parts of the country that are most needed. Partridge is also an excellent recruiter, so this net gain is smaller than some other areas of the position, but the recruiting chops from an area standpoint being in the Southeast should provide more consistent boosts to the Rebels. He has a lot of Mississippi knowledge and wanted to be back in the state. He served two tenures at Delta State and was also at Southern Miss.
While he was a Broyles Award finalist and won a national title at Alabama, a lot of people point toward his work at UTSA as evidence of his schematic ability and coaching superlatives. The Roadrunners were excellent defensively under him, and he helped Marcus Davenport greatly elevate his stock.
Sources indicate Golding will have a major hand in filling defensive staff vacancies. There's some Bryan Brown buzz floating around, but he was just introduced officially yesterday as the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati. College football is weird and people leave quickly sometimes, but I was told it would take a hell of a package thrown at him and even then it's not certain. He wouldn't have the keys to himself like he does at Cincinnati. I wouldn't be optimistic here, but it can be a dumb sport.
Nick Saban said this about Golding during the season.
"I think Pete has done a really, really good job," coach Nick Saban said in 2022. "He's very bright. He articulates well with the players. He's a good teacher. I think he's a good motivator. He's done a very good job with the personnel that we have. I just really appreciate the really good job that he's done. I think he's made really positive steps every year since he's been here. I love hiring younger guys like that and letting them grow and develop in the organization. He's certainly done a fantastic job of that."
Ole Miss needs more depth on the defensive side and then to utilize that depth -- especially in the front seven. That's been a specialty for Golding during his tenure. Golding was looking for a change and wanted to be at Ole Miss. Now the work begins.
