OXFORD – Before his career could get off the ground, Pete Golding’s first boss wanted him gone. Fired. Out.
Ron Roberts, then Delta State’s defensive coordinator, had seen plenty of Golding. He was a four-year starter at safety for the Statesmen and, at Roberts’ urging, joined his alma mater’s staff as a graduate assistant in 2006.
Roberts – who was most recently the defensive coordinator at Florida and is the expected DC hire at Arkansas – thought there was potential in Golding. The way Golding saw the game was different than his contemporaries. His communication skills were second-to-none. And his energy and enthusiasm? Unmatched.
So when an opening for a secondary coach on Frankie DeBusk’s staff at Tusculum opened up, Roberts thought Golding was a perfect fit. The only problem? Golding didn’t want to take the job; he wasn’t ready to leave Cleveland, Mississippi.
“The funny story is … he said, ‘I don’t want to go. I’m just learning so much football … and I want to stay,’” Roberts recounted with a chuckle. “And I said ‘Dude, take this job, or I’ll fire you.’”
That fateful conversation was nearly two decades ago. Golding, of course, took that job at Tusculum, his first full-time gig in the coaching world. Golding has since moved up the ranks rapidly – from Tusculum as secondary coach and then defensive coordinator, back to Delta State as defensive coordinator under Roberts, to Southeastern Louisiana as Roberts’ defensive coordinator, to Southern Miss, to UTSA, to Alabama and to Ole Miss. In three years as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator, Ole Miss has won a combined 32 games.
Following a chaotic few weeks that culminated in head coach Lane Kiffin taking the LSU job, Golding was elevated to full-time head coach of the Rebels on Nov. 30. He canceled his introductory press conference – he wanted the focus to be on the players rather than himself, he said – and when he did finally meet with the media via Zoom following the announcement of the No. 6 Rebels’ berth in their first College Football Playoff, it was clear Golding intended to do things differently than his predecessor.
“I’m not changing who I am,” Golding said. “I ain’t changing what the hell I wear, I’m (not) going to yoga … I ain’t doing any of that s---. I am who I am.”
Golding’s first game as a head coach will be Saturday when the Rebels (11-1) host 11th-seeded Tulane (11-2) in what will arguably be the biggest football game in the history of the state.
While his title has changed, DeBusk doesn’t expect Golding to alter his hands-on approach. When he watched video of Golding at Alabama and now Ole Miss, he still sees the same 20-something he hired – lined up with his face in the dirt, football likely in hand should the drill require quarterbacking, running drills himself. He’ll never be one to stand back and not partake in the fun.
“Pete’s still the same Pete,” DeBusk said.
Note: Interviews have been shortened for brevity
'An overachiever'
Golding prepped at Hammond High School, located about an hour northwest of New Orleans. His father, Skip, played at Delta State in 1976-77. A somewhat impromptu encounter with then-Delta State head coach Rick Rhoades changed the trajectory of both Golding's playing and coaching career. He finished his Delta State career with 285 tackles, which ranks fourth in program history.
Rhoades: “It’s a pretty interesting story. We were recruiting a center from (Hammond), Ryan Barker, who ended up being an all-conference center for us and, along with that, a quarterback – Scott Eyster – who ended up being the second-leading passer in the history of the NCAA by the time he finished.
“And they brought along this little guy with them named ‘Pete Somebody.’ And, wasn’t really sure who he was at the time, but we all fell in love with him after about five minutes. He was just a ball of fire. You could tell he loved football and he ran really well. And we offered him on the spot, along with the other two. And it was one of the best moves I ever made as a coach.”
Roberts: “He was a real smart player. He was a really good player. He was athletic, he returned punts for us. He always wanted to play both sides of the ball. Nagged me about that, nagged coach Rhoades about that, that he wanted to play receiver. … He was an overachiever.
“ … He got done, and that spring I hounded him (and) asked him to be a GA.”
Rhoades: “All really good players, before the ball is snapped, they kind of have a picture in their mind as to what things should look like. It’s almost a clairvoyance, sometimes you think. And they can anticipate. And Pete was really good at that. He could always be one step ahead.”
Roberts: “There’s certain players that kind of get it when you’re talking and understand. He was a safety, so he made a lot of the checks and communication and did all that stuff. He was a smart football player, understood it and helped other guys around him play better. It was pretty cut and dry. Some guys just get it better.”
'Smart as a whip'
After his playing career ended, Golding spent a season as a graduate assistant on Rhoades’ staff. He then joined DeBusk’s staff at Tusculum as the secondary coach and later became defensive coordinator. In 2008, Tusculum made its first and only appearance in the Division II playoffs; Golding, the defensive coordinator, was 23. It was just the start of his fast rise.
After three seasons with the Pioneers, Golding joined Roberts – now head coach – at Delta State as defensive coordinator for two seasons, which included a berth in the 2010 Division II championship game. From there he went to Southeastern Louisiana – located in Hammond, Louisiana – again as Roberts’ defensive coordinator. He was the Lions’ defensive coordinator for two years before nabbing his first FBS job as Southern Miss’ safeties coach.
After two years in Hattiesburg, he was named the defensive coordinator at UTSA – his 2017 squad ranked seventh in total defense in the FBS – and caught the attention of Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who brought him on as a co-defensive coordinator and later elevated him to defensive coordinator in 2019. His defense helped the Crimson Tide win the 2020 national title. Golding joined Kiffin’s staff prior to the 2023 season. The Rebels have ranked in the top 35 in scoring defense each season.
Rhoades: “When you become a graduate assistant, I think one of the things that’s the hardest to do is to break away from being a player, your relationship with the players and ‘Hey, I’m a coach now, I’m not a player.’
“It took Pete about 15 seconds to do that.”
DeBusk: “Ron (Roberts) put in a defense at Tusculum ... It was a 3-3, called it a 3-3 stack. We used to blitz a lot, play a lot of man, play zero in the back end, bring pressure. And when he went to Delta … he continued to do the same thing, he called it the same way. … The reason we brought in Pete was he knew the terminology.”
David Duggan, former Southern Mississippi defensive coordinator: “We had interviewed quite a few people for the (secondary) job, to be honest with you. He was probably our last one.
“He was super smart. He talked really fast. And I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m not as smart as you’re going right now. I can tell you have a really good working knowledge. But just slow down for me and teach me … like I’ve never played defensive back before.’
“You could tell he had very good command of the position. And his teaching method was good. He had a good way to continue to use the same reference points. … He wasn’t jumping all over the place. … That’s a gift that you’re always looking for – ‘Can he teach?’ That’s the No. 1 priority.”
Roberts: “When (head coach) Todd Monken was trying to hire him at Southern Miss … Todd … called me to interview him and so he called me and said, ‘Hey I want to interview this guy, dah dah dah, what do you think about it?’ … I said, ‘Hey Todd, you’re going to find out by the end of spring he’s the best football coach and he’s the best recruiter you’ve got.’”
Rhoades: “There’s about two to three things about him. No. 1, he’s smart as a whip. No. 2, he really loves football, everything about it. Doesn’t mind the hard work, understands that there’s peaks and valleys, can handle the bad stuff and the good stuff. Very focused guy, and really good with people. … And one thing about him – he has the rarest of all human traits – he’s going to tell you exactly what he thinks and he’ll listen to what you think.”
Roberts: “It’s the ability to understand certain things but also his ability to think outside the box. So many of those guys get stuck in the way they think. If it hasn’t been done, they can’t really see the picture. But he can. He can create and he can see outside the box.”
Junior linebacker TJ Dottery: “I see him every day in the film room, even by himself. … He likes someone that challenges him. And I think that’s probably the biggest thing. A lot of coaches feel like – sometimes, when they’re a defensive coordinator, everything goes their way. He likes people that challenges him and brings ideas to him to just make everybody else better around us. He just does whatever he can to put players in the best position.”
Duggan: “I still use it today, I still use his post-safety technique when we’re playing a running quarterback on zone read. That’s something that I’ve carried with me for all the stops that I’ve had since I was with Pete. I still use his language and his three buzzwords. So, that’s kind of resonated with me along the way.
“ … He’s a guy that’s always willing – if you pick up the phone and you really need something from him, he’s going to give you an honest answer and share everything he’s got with you. A lot of guys won’t share.”
Rhoades: “When I retired (from Delta State), I went over to Europe and coached for a while. And I got involved on the defensive side of the ball. So, there’s been two or three times that I’ve gotten together with him, just to get caught up on stuff. And it was like going to graduate school. … I mean, he’d throw out about 37 defenses in about five minutes. He had them slanting and looping and duping and everything else, and I’m trying to keep up with all this stuff.”
Sophomore defensive tackle Will Echoles: “Every week, we’re always changing something on defense, to help us play faster, play better. It (doesn’t) matter if it’s just one person doing something different. … He continues to put us in position to play fast and physical. That’s what I like the most about him. … We’re not going to sit in something the whole game getting beat. He (is) going to make adjustments.”
Rhoades: “What you want is something that’s complex and not complicated. Something that’s complicated doesn’t make sense. You do one part of it and then you go the next part and they don’t tie together. Something that’s complex, A leads to B and B leads to C and C leads to D. And I think that’s the way Pete has always put his stuff together.”
Roberts: “Here’s one I probably never – I don’t think I’ve ever told anybody. And I don’t know if even he will remember it. When I went to Southeast Louisiana … I called him, he came running down. He’s not hired yet, he’s on his own dime. … ‘We have to get recruiting, I need your help. Get down here.’ So he came down, and we did this through Christmas, and we’re recruiting our tails off.
“… (Current Baylor head coach) Dave Aranda was out of a job. He had just got fired; he was the DC for me at Delta State when I first got there, and (Golding) had a lot of respect for Dave. I said, ‘Hey I want to bring Dave in.’ And he says, ‘I’m good with it, coach. I’m good with it. How do you want him to do it?’ And I said, ‘No, no, no, I want to bring Dave as the linebacker coach, you’re still going to be the DC.’ And he said, ‘Coach, if Dave’s coming back, I’m good with it. I just want to win.’”
“ … The guy who had just went to the semifinals and national championship of Division II, I take him to an FCS job. And the guy was willing to give it up because he thought the other guy may have been better. … I don’t know if I ever heard that one before.”
A people person and ‘Football Guy’
While Golding’s acumen comes up frequently with his mentors, it is his ability to relate to people that sticks out as much, if not more. His first press conference as Ole Miss’ head coach elicited its share of chuckles from the assembled media due to his bluntness and occasional profanities. Golding is going to be himself through and through. It’s also part of what makes him an elite recruiter.
Echoles: “I remember my first time meeting him. He means business, especially if he wants you real bad. He (is) going to make sure … you know that he wants you. … I chose Ole Miss, because of him. He was one of the reasons I chose Ole Miss, for sure.”
DeBusk: “He’ll be madder than hell, but that’s all right. … We were going on a golf trip, my brother and I’d always gone, and we needed a couple more guys. People falling off, couldn’t go. And Pete’s a great golfer. … So he goes with us. And generally my brother’s my roommate on these trips. But because Pete was new and didn’t really know a lot of people, he was my roommate on this trip.
“ … So we spend Thursday night, we spend Friday night, we spend Saturday night. We get up Sunday morning, and Pete says, ‘Coach, coach DeBusk. Have you seen my toothbrush?’ And I said no, I hadn’t seen your toothbrush. And he’s digging around for it, digging around for it. And I said, ‘Pete, let me ask you a question. We got here Thursday night. Are you telling me that you hadn’t had your toothbrush since we got here? Today is Sunday.’ And he said, ‘Coach, I’ve been using my finger to brush my teeth. I’ve been using mouthwash.’ And I’m like, ‘Boy you are nasty.’ … But that’s him, you know what I mean? He’s all about people. Everybody loved him. I think he won on the trip.”
Roberts: “He’s the guy that if you’re playing cards, he’s probably going to win. If you’re playing ping pong, he’s probably going to win. But you’re going to have fun playing.”
Duggan: “He’s just a Football Guy that wants to grow the game and help people.”
Rhoades: “I think if you were around Pete every day, it’d be hard for you to ever have a bad day. I don’t think he’d let you. A little bit cocky, really enjoys life – maybe sometimes too much, but there are worse things. Just a good guy to be around.”
“You know how sometimes you get up in the morning and you’re a little bit dull so you put on some music to kind of get you going? Pete’s kind of like that.”
Dottery: “He makes you feel like family. ... So, just him breaking that barrier from any recruiting standpoint was huge. He’s a top recruiter, man.”
Duggan: “He can talk with anybody and relate to anybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman. He can find some connection. … He can converse with you, and he has a way to relate with players. He just has a really good, natural communication – he’s got great communication skills. Really, it’s a gift.”
DeBusk: “He’s got a great smile, he’s got that persona. I mean, he can talk to the wealthiest of wealthy and he can talk to the poorest of poor. He can talk to the best of the best, and he can talk to the worst of the worst when it comes to the players on the field. He doesn’t treat anybody any different.”
Duggan: “The players just really seemed to gravitate towards him. … He could be demanding, but at the same point in time, he could let his hair down when he’s off the field. … The guys wanted to be around him, and that’s the sign of a good coach that, he knows when to turn it on and be demanding on them on the field and when they needed some guidance or whatnot.”
Echoles: “Sometimes I used to doubt myself. … He makes sure that I know who I am and why I’m here. That’s probably the biggest thing he used to tell me, was just, ‘Go play ball. You know why you’re here.’”
'He’s going to be himself'
Golding, 41, is set to take the reins to one of the SEC’s winningest programs over the last five seasons. He is set to make $6.8 million in base salary next year, a far cry from the $27,000 he made under DeBusk. But Golding is still in touch with people from his past, often reminiscing about "the good old days." Golding has come a long way fast, but he isn’t one to forget his roots.
Roberts: “It’s pretty awesome to see him do it and the success he’s had and the path he’s done and the people he’s affected. … It’s a little bit of admiration, it’s a little bit of being just excited for him.”
Duggan: “He’s just got a really, really good heart. He cares about people. … He is just one of those guys that if he sees somebody down on their luck or something, he’s going to be the first one to reach out and see what he can do to help the situation or help the person or whatnot.”
Rhoades: “There’s a saying in coaching: You want to make sure you cover all the ‘what ifs’ so you don’t have any ‘if onlys.’ And we were looking for players, and we never said no to anybody. And I sure am glad he showed up. … It was a big day for us and a really good day for him, too, I think. … You always want to see good guys do well. And Pete’s a good guy.”
Roberts: “It went from being a coach to a player to a coach to a friend. … I consider him to be one of my best friends now.”
Duggan: “He just has a demeanor about him. … He’s been the defensive coordinator at Alabama, but yet he still has a relationship with all of his old coaches and guys that he’s met in his presence, and I think that’s a testament to his character. … He’s never grown away from the people that have meant something to him. … He’s never too big.”
Rhoades: “As a coach, that’s what you want for all your players. You hope that their experience with you enables them to have great success in their personal life when it’s all done. That’s what it’s all supposed to be about. … It’s to prepare guys to do just what Pete has done, to be great in their field.”
Roberts: “He’s a selfless person, and he’ll manage people well. And he’ll be himself. Everybody always respects people that are authentic. And he’ll continue to do that. And he’ll make great decisions and he’ll treat people right. … Football is going to take care of itself.”
Duggan: “That’s probably the most accurate statement that I think will be to his advantage and his success running the team from here on out, is just … he’s going to be himself, for sure. No doubt about that.”
DeBusk: “He texts me and said, ‘A wise man once told me do what you love. Don’t worry about the money.’ Love ya, Boss. That wise man was you. We were riding down a road recruiting somebody in Georgia and you told me that. And I don’t ever forget it.’
“I texted him a little bit more recent, and he said, ‘I’m leaving my 13-year old’s hoop game. Feels like yesterday when we were at the Moose Lodge after whooping Catawba.’
“Not many people know what that means. I do … We would win a big game, and that’s the only place in little Greeneville, Tennessee to take staff and be able to let their hair down a little bit. … He brought it up, and that was just two, three weeks ago. I said, ‘Love that. We had some great times.’ And he goes, ‘I never will forget them. Love you brother, miss you.’ And then he said, ‘Let’s get together for a spring golf trip.’
“I mean, here he goes again. That’s just Pete.”
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