Ole Miss DC Pete Golding, aka ‘Portal Pete,’ talks about why the Rebels have been so successful in the transfer portal
ATLANTA — When Pete Golding left Alabama to become the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss almost one year ago, many Tide fans were screaming, “Good riddance.” But in Oxford, Rebel fans were screaming, “Thank goodness.”
Not only has Golding turned the Ole Miss defense into a force, but his true talent might also be attracting players.
Hence, his new nickname, “Portal Pete.”
At a Peach Bowl press conference, Golding was humble about his role in the Rebels’ transfer portal success.
“I think your program starts to recruit itself,” Golding said. “Number one, I think winning football games is big. All of these guys can increase their brand by playing under coach (Lane) Kiffin and playing for Ole Miss, which I think is big.”
Golding also credited another group for the Rebels’ success in the transfer portal — the current players.
“I think it’s more of these guys selling it by how they play, how quick they’ve learned the system. Coach Kiffin has really helped me on that to simplify the defense because it’s kind of more of a pro system now. You can’t expect a guy to come in the summer and get that system down before game one September 1st. Simplifying things and finding what they do well, package that and ask them to do that. I think it’s more the players than us to be honest with you.“
Pete Golding on Ole Miss’ success in portal
And the players, coaches, system and Ole Miss itself have landed one of, if not the best, transfer class in the nation. In fact, the group is ranked No. 1 in the transfer portal team rankings.
The Rebels received a Christmas gift on defense with the commitment from Walter Nolen, the top-ranked player in the portal. The former Texas A&M star will help fortify the Ole Miss defensive front.
Add to that, transfers Chris Paul, Jr. (Arkansas), Princely Umanmielen (Florida), Decamerion Richardson (Mississippi State), Taz Nicholson (Illinois), Louis Moore (Indiana), Key Lawrence (Oklahoma), along with Tamarion McDonald and Tyler Baron from Tennessee.
Ole Miss has also attracted star-studded high school players on the defensive side of the ball. That list includes five-star recruit Kamarion Franklin, along with four-stars Kamron Beavers, Jeffrey Rush and William Echoles — all defensive linemen — and safety Travaris Banks.
Yet Golding realizes getting talent to Ole Miss is only part of the equation. The new players must gel with the players currently on the roster.
“I think it’s recruiting the right type of kid, regardless of it’s a transfer kid or a high school kid, that goes back to loving football. There has to be a connect of why they want to be at Ole Miss, why they want to play with Coach Kiffin, why they want to be in a scheme that’s been successful and being around coaches that produce guys that get them to the next level. It’s a lot of things. Whether you’re high school recruiting or portal recruiting, the number one thing is is it a good fit? Ole Miss isn’t for everybody. They come in and see our guys. I think our current players do a really good job on official visits of being honest, telling them what it’s really like.“
Pete Golding on transfer players being the right fit
Last season Ole Miss went to the Texas Bowl and a season later, the Rebels have upgraded to a New Year’s Six game in Atlanta with an upcoming matchup against No. 10 Penn State in the Peach Bowl.
“Year two to me has always been better because you have guys that already know the system,” Golding said, “so they can start pulling people with them…And now other guys that are coming in are fitting into that.”
With the newcomers and returning players, the next year might be a special one for Ole Miss — even one that would make Alabama fans regret celebrating Golding’s relocation to Oxford.
Ole Miss and Penn State kick off Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
