TRANSCRIPT | ‘Spot the Ball and Go Play’: Pete Golding Details Ole Miss Mindset Before Tulane

OXFORD, Miss. — With Ole Miss set to host the first College Football Playoff game in program history, head coach Pete Golding met with the media Monday and delivered a clear message: there’s no time for reflection, distractions, or pageantry. The focus remains squarely on preparation, accountability, and the opportunity in front of a veteran-led Rebel team as it readies for a postseason showdown with Tulane inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Here’s everything Coach Golding said Monday:

Pete Golding’s Opening Statement

Obviously excited to get back on the practice field, so I gave them off Saturday, had a normal week last week like we talked about last week, and then gave them off Saturday, brought them back Sunday night and had a little practice last night. And then re-did the scouting report today and did some walkthroughs and stuff like that, so just getting off the field.So super excited about the opportunity these kids have created for themselves in our program to be able to have a home playoff game and really excited about the challenge in Tulane. What we got?

Question: This past week for you, what’s the challenges this practice field wise, of having to kind of adapt to to your new role of focusing on both sides there?

Coach Golding: I think the biggest thing was the pieces are in place for it to be consistent as it was prior to. So the practice piece of it is the easiest part of it. It’s the in-between, obviously, of managing the now and then the 2026 and what that’s going to look like. So the practice part is kind of my safe code right now. Get out there and get to do ball and that thing runs itself. We got a lot of really, really good people in the organization that are a part of that. So the practice part has been really, really smooth.

Question: I know you didn’t really get to work with Trinidad much before you became head coach. What has that relationship been like? Getting getting to know him a little bit better?

Coach Golding: Yeah, I think all student athletes are pretty much the same. You know, they want guys to push them. They want to have guys that believe in them. And obviously I think they want to win and they want to make sure we’re doing everything possible to put them in a really good position in order to win. So the one on ones have been cool just seeing him from a personality standpoint. Obviously, I’ve always known the competitor and how tough he was and and all those different things, but getting to know him a little bit more on a personal level has been been pretty neat. And, you know, kind of picking his brain on some things that he’s really enjoyed and really liked that he’s, you know, thought helped him succeed and some other things that we could tweak within reason to improve his performance and our team’s performance. So it’s been really good to get to meet, you know, and know a lot of those guys a lot better.

Question: You announced the L’Damian Washington and Micheal Spurlock as part of your staff. Just what do you think about those guys? Like what led to that? And also, could you be making any more staff announcements pretty soon.

Coach Golding: Yeah, I think you know what we look for in our players, we look for in our staff. Number one, do they love football? Number two, are they good people? Are they good human beings? And then number three, do they want to be here? And I think obviously some of these guys that have come back have already been here and already have a lot invested into this program and want to give back. They know what this place has done for them as a young man, and they want to have that same influence on young men right now. You know, speaking on Spurlock, I had the ability to work with Coach Spurlock at another place. So I saw his energy and his ability to teach and teach the game at a very high level. So that was a no brainer for me. LD, I just got to know throughout this process, has been a receiver coach for a couple of my good friends that I really respect in the business and came very highly recommended. And then once you interview that guy and you see his personality and how much he loves football and how intelligent he is and how he affects the people around him, he was a no brainer. So we’re really excited to move in that direction for next year. And I think he brings a lot to the program.

Question: That was something I was curious about, just putting together the offensive staff with you being such a defensive guy, like, is the football world small enough where you know a lot of offensive guys too? Or do you kind of have to, like, reach out and ask other offensive guys for advice a little bit?

Coach Golding: When you’re at Alabama for five-and-a-half years, you meet a lot of people, and so a lot of people come in and out of there. No, obviously I’ve been in this industry for a long time, and I’ve developed a lot of really good relationships with a lot of people on both sides of the ball. And as your defensive coordinator, for as long as I’ve been, you know, what type of guys and offenses that you go against and who presents you problems. And then recruiting at a high level for a long time, you also know those recruiting battles with guys that do a really good job and make it really hard for you. So you take notes. Obviously, this is everybody’s goal, in my opinion, that gets into football at one point. They want to have the ability to lead their own program. And so you’re taking notes as you go and kind of building your own your own roster so to say. And then obviously from an agent standpoint, they have a list of guys as well that they think, you know, from a profile standpoint of what you’re looking for that could create value for your organization, but a lot of those were on a personal level where I either knew them personally or somebody that I really respected in the profession had their hands on them. And obviously I, you know, went and got their opinion on it and, uh, and then interviewed those guys and we put them through a pretty tedious process in the interview. And so we zoom them first. If we like what we do on zoom, then we bring them in, uh, because we wanted it to be a fit. We want to be a fit for us and a fit for them, but more importantly, a fit for our players. And I think that’s the most important thing in hiring people is, number one, is to retain the really good players that we have and then address those needs and be able to go out and recruit really elite players, uh, convince them that Ole Miss is the best place to do that. So I think we’re doing that.

Question: What’s unique about this team? What do you like about this group?

Coach Golding: I think the grit, I think the toughness, I think they’ve got amnesia. I think it’s a it’s a next-play mentality. And it has been for a long time. I think they’re very even keel. They don’t get too high. They don’t get too low. At the end of the day, they just want to be coached really hard. They want to have good plans on both sides of the ball. Energy and effort have never been an issue with this group. I think we’ve got older guys in critical leadership roles, and I think a lot of times when your best players are your best people and your best leaders becomes player led. So these guys just want to spot the ball. They want to have good plans. They know this Tulane team is not the same Tulane team we played in week four. They’re well aware of that and neither are we. And so we got to have a really good week of practice and great preparation and be the most excited to play. So probably their grit for me.

Question: The players don’t have to worry about this, but you got to balance to the calendar and what it is. And today was a very active day for the portal and guys getting in like that. How do you balance that and have you started preparations because of the calendar for when that really gets going because guys are already getting in?

Coach Golding: Yeah, I mean I think that’s kind of free agency from the NFL standpoint. I mean, a lot of those guys are identified way before as far as from a valuation standpoint, are they good enough? Do they fit the scheme and all that? The only thing the portal allows you to do is start the communication part of it, but I think the evaluation process, I think that’s the big thing in college football. Now, those player personnel departments and all those type of things already have the list compiled of guys based on position. Those are the best in the country at what they do that fit our schemes. And then at that point the communication would start, you know, with them and their representation to what are they looking for? What are we looking for on the actual communication piece of it starts. So that’s why a lot of guys have a lot of different jobs and a lot of different roles in these college departments that are getting bigger and bigger. Um, but they’re no different than a scouting department int he NFL. You have the same concepts in college to be able to be ready for those things when that thing opens. So a lot of those guys, we obviously already know about no different than any news. You get new news every day, and we get those spreadsheets of guys that announce on social media that they’re planning on entering. And so if we haven’t had them cut up and we haven’t evaluated, the evaluation process starts and there’s somebody potentially that we want to add to our team. So we have a lot of guys responsible for that.

Question: Throughout this process, I know it’s still early, but how are you evaluating or looking at practice differently now as the head coach compared to when you were the DC?

Coach Golding: I mean, obviously the defensive side of the ball is the same as offensively, you know, from a playing standpoint and all that, we got highly qualified guys that have been very successful doing it this year. So I’m not going in there and acting like I’m Jon Gruden all of a sudden. Right. So again, we’ve got a lot of guys that do it the right way.

I think from a rotation standpoint, I think sometimes even me defensively, you know, we get locked in on certain guys because we trust them or we see him as this. And sometimes it’s really not that. And sometimes we can get blinders on for players that have the ability to play winning football, that haven’t been and I think that’s the biggest thing as an organization. One guy’s not going to make that decision, but make sure we’re using all the pieces that we can to give us our best chance to win the game. And what can players do? Not what they can’t do. And don’t go by a checklist. And let’s create some packages for guys that can play winning football. Because to go make the run at this that you need to, somebody that has not had a significant role is going to have to step up and have a significant role at a big time and a big game. I’ve been a part of too many of them not to see that.

So we’ve got to prepare those guys and start having plans ready for those guys. And if they can play winning football, meaning they can make more plays for us than they do against us, then we need to find a plan for them. They need to play. And so from a rotational standpoint on both sides of the ball, obviously last week gives us the part to evaluate that and make sure we’re using all the pieces that we have within this building right now to give us our best chance. So, from a rotation standpoint, that’s a little different than a scheme standpoint. And then from a defensive standpoint, I know what creates issues for us. All right. So obviously there are some of those things that potentially hey have you thought about, you know, creating some of these during the game to create problems for the opposing defense that I think could help us as well? So all that goes into play. But those guys have done a great job all year, and I expect them to do a great job this week.

Question: Have you had any opportunity to reflect or think about what it’s going to be like stepping out there as a head coach for the first time Saturday.

Coach Golding: To be honest with you, no, and I really don’t plan to. I think, you know, we owe this to the team, to the fans, to the university to have blinders on right now. I know what it takes to win football games. I know what it takes to be successful on defense. And it’s hard work. And you got to do it better than anybody else. And you got to be willing to do things that they’re not. I think when you start getting caught up in moments and start taking pictures and do all that, your focus is on the wrong thing. And so for this, this is something hopefully whenever that last game is and we put forth our best effort, whatever the result of that is, then you’ll have some time to sit back and kind of look back on it and be able to evaluate it. Did you do it the right way? Could we do it better and all that? But right now, you know, I’m not trying to enjoy anything. I’m trying to prepare extremely hard and get a good plan in place for these players and hold them accountable to practice the right way and prepare the right way to give them the best chance. So, that would be at a later time. I’ll let my kids do that.

Question: Coach, you prepared for Tulane from a defensive standpoint the first time. And there’s been several, you know, obvious games to look at at this point, it looks like the offensive line is totally the same, maybe some changes in other areas. But just specifically, your thoughts on their improvement offensively throughout the course?

Coach Golding: You know, I’ve always thought schematically they do a really good job, especially trying to, you know, create ways to run the football using the quarterback and plus one runs, but formation and motions and shifts and things like that from a numbers standpoint and creating extra gaps.

So I always thought they’ve done a really good job. That was coming into week four as well. Their tackle who has been a two-time all conference player for them didn’t play versus us in the first game who I think is probably their best offensive lineman. So some of that has moved around a little bit. Uh, and I think they’re good up front. Uh, some of the backs that played against us have kind of taken backup roles since then. And they’ve got some other guys that have stepped up that are running the ball really well.

And then from a receiver standpoint, you know, I knew a lot of those guys from recruiting, whether I signed a couple of them or one of them at Alabama that transferred over and recruiting some of those other guys. So they’re skilled on the perimeter. I think they look a lot more comfortable in the offense. I think that’s a lot of the time now. You know, week four, when you’re bringing first year players in, you know, obviously you don’t have your whole system in yet. They’re not fully comfortable with the checks, the adjustments and the kills and all those things. They’re playing at a high level. And I think this is not week four Tulane. This is obviously, they’ve won their conference. They beat the ACC champion. Uh, they’re playing at a high level. They’re scoring a lot of points, and they’re doing a lot of things really, really well.

So you know we’re going to be locked in. We’ve got to be focused. Uh, turnovers are going to be a critical piece of this game. You know we neutralized that last time as far as ball takeaways. But there were three critical fourth down stops in that game that kind of swung the momentum of the game. And I think if you look at their two losses it’s possessions gain. You know they’re two losses, they’re minus eight in possessions gain. And they do an unbelievable job of taking the football away. They’re number eight in the country. And so you know they’ve created a lot of other possessions throughout the year. And when they’ve done that they’ve consistently won at a high level. And so taking care of the football and offensively, you know offense is going to be extremely important. But we got to take the ball away on defense and we got to find ways to get our ball back to the offense with great field position. And so that’s going to be a critical component. I think they tackle really really well.

You know that’s something we’re going to have to have single digit missed tackles that we were able to do, you know, in the first time that we played them. There’s been weeks you know throughout the year that we’ve struggled with that. And obviously when we do, that creates explosive plays. They’re going to be hard enough to contest every play anyway offensively what they do. So we got to be a really well tackled team and we got to lock in, communicate, be on the same page. No uncontested plays and you got to limit the explosives. So for these guys to me it’s the takeaway ratio and the explosive game. We created a lot of them in the first game offensively with some one on one matchups, well aware that they’re going to change some things up and protect some guys. We’ve got to be able to run the ball effectively on offense to create some of those one on ones, and we got to win them. So definitely not the same team. They’re playing at a high level, but I don’t think we are either. So we got to be ready to roll.

Question: I was going to say as far as the offensive scheme going into this game, you got your your footprint completely on that offensive side?

Coach Golding: I wouldn’t say my footprint, no. I walk in over there sometimes. No, no. We’re good. We have obviously the retention of bringing JDB back for next year, not even this year, is is we have full confidence in the offensive scheme and how we do things and why we do things to create the matchups that we want. So, uh, that thing’s been running pretty well with the trigger man playing really well. So I’m definitely not trying to screw that up.

Question: Coach, could you tell me how that looks a little bit? Because you got coaches that are preparing the team to play and you got guys that are coming in. Are they like just observing or are they?

Coach Golding: Yes. I think obviously anybody from a 2026 piece of this is about retention of your current roster. So being available from a relationship standpoint for your current roster to be able to come in, meet them, talk about them, not from a development aspect right, or anything like that. But a lot of players want to know who am I going to play for? Right. Number one, they want to make sure is their stability in the scheme. And that’s not going to change. Number two, you know do I like the guy’s energy and body language and who he is as a man, is he going to  be able to develop me as a young man. So I think it’s really important to get those guys around our players prior to the portal coming open. So they have a really good idea of the people that they’re going to play for.

And then on top of that, I think a big piece of it is evaluating our roster, right. So let’s go ahead and evaluate your position. And who’s playing winning football, who’s not who needs to improve. And then potentially who needs to be in a replacement at that position to be able to address the portal needs. And then those guys are obviously heavy in the portal from a ranking system and all those type of things to go ahead and evaluate the guys that we’re going to try to target once that thing opens. But number one, you know, I was trying to get those guys that fit first in here as soon as possible for retention of our current players so they know the coach is going to be around them. And then number two obviously would be for a portal reason, but I didn’t want to hurry anything. This wasn’t anything to go try to hire somebody fast. We wanted to make sure the fit was right first, especially on that side of the ball with JDB coming in and guys that he could trust and that he wanted around him to be able to develop our guys. But number one for me is retention.

Question: Back to you. Talk about having the guys out there that you trust to lead practice gets you through, especially on offense. Joe Judge, Trinidad speaks really highly of him and their relationship. Just what does it mean to have him and to get you through this playoffs and what that offense thinks of him?

Coach Golding: Yeah, I think he’s added tremendous value, you know, since he’s been here. And I think whether it’s players, our coaches, you want guys with experience that have set in those chairs that have had to make those decisions. But you want team-first guys. And I think that’s Joe. I think, you know, having been the head coach of the Giants to come in here as an analyst role. Right. To be a backup quarterback coach, I think speaks volumes of who he is. And then on top of it, for his son to be on our team, obviously for the family being in Oxford for what this place has already meant to him up to this point. He’s fully invested, but it’s really nice to be able to have a guy from a leadership standpoint that’s been in the role that I’m in right now, to be able to close the door and bring in and ask his opinion and say, hey, how did you do this? Not that you’re always going to do it that way, but that you got, you know, a realistic opinion of somebody that’s done it. But he’s been all in from day one. Uh, he’s got a good view of it holistically and very mature about it. He’s got good rapport with our players. So I’m glad we got him signed and he’s coming back.

Question: We spoke to you last week and you said you were evaluating calling plays from the box or on the field. Do you have any update on that?

Coach Golding: Where am I calling it from? Yeah, I’m going to be on the field. And so that’s something, my first year here I was on the field, you know, that’s all five years at Alabama. When I called it I was on the field. So, you know, the hardest thing to actually do is to call it from the box because you’re never in a box of practice. So everybody wants to talk about the difference between the box and the field. You’re only in the box 12 times a year. You know, so it’s getting adjusted to that and then getting removed from your players. So I think the biggest thing you know is having a guy up there that can see it the way you do it. Right, which we will. But I’ve had a lot of experience calling it from the sideline, but I’ll be on the sideline for the game.

Question: You talked about how Tulane has evolved over the season. I was wondering how useful is the film from September 20th?

Coach Golding: I think concept wise, I think it’s important of how people are trying to attack you. And more importantly, what are they trying to protect and why? And so a lot of those things you’re going to come. It’s no different than the NFL. They play everybody twice a year. So you’re not completely aborting a game plan from before. You know, especially this late in the year. People show you who they are. And they’ve got a foundation of things that have worked. And the last thing that they want to do is reinvent the wheel at this point. And it’s not comfortable for their players. Let’s put them in this position now. Are they going to dress it up and create it a different way? Absolutely. But at the core of it, they’re going to get back to, hey, this is what they believe in, this is who they are. And those are the bread and butter things that we talk about that you got to take away, understanding that it’s going to be presented in a different way.

And then obviously, like I talked about before, a lot of things don’t come up in a game that you prepare for that they had put in on tape prior to, and then you’re looking at the game since then, how many times has this shown up? Has it been successful for them? And then when it’s this far removed, I mean, a lot of guys are copycat guys, you know, in every sport. So you got to go back obviously, and self-assess what’s created problems for us on both sides of the ball on a consistent basis, that they’re watching the same tape that they’re going to do. So you’re kind of playing coordinator on the other side of the ball as well, on some of those explosives that you’ve given up and some things that you haven’t done well up to this point, knowing they’re going to try to take advantage of those and prepare your guys from a copycat standpoint as well.

So they’re going to be who they are. You don’t get to this point, you know, in college football and try to change who you are and change an offense and change the defense. Your players feel that. They sense that, you know, they’re not comfortable with that. So, you know, this is going to be about preparing the right way, having really good execution and being the most excited to play. I told you this before, you know, we’ve had I’ve been fortunate to be in a lot of these. And it’s the team that’s most excited to play, that’s the most well prepared, that practice is the best, and that’s going to make the least amount of mistakes. And those mistakes come from proper preparation. And so we got to lock in and focus and have a really good week. And we got to be excited to play.

Question: In this time of transition, which players have you seen step up and take a bigger leadership roles?

Coach Golding: Yeah, I mean, I think obviously the older veteran guys that have been here for a while, the Tyler Banks of the world and all those that this place means so much to, I think have done a good job making these young guys understand, hey, y’all might get another shot, but we don’t, you know, make sure everybody in this room is doing everything they can for this senior class, this senior group that’s put together a three year stretch that really hadn’t been done here in a while. And so I think, you know, they’ve kind of made them feel that responsibility.

Number one, they’ve got to do that themselves. Being the older guys to set the right example. But they’re expecting everybody in every chair to do their job, to do their 1/11, to put us in a position to be able to win. So I think we have a high character group. I think we have all year that’s kind of been consistent and we’ve got a lot of selfless guys. So there’s a lot of buy in right now to make sure we’re doing everything that we can control in order to give ourselves our best chance to win the football game. And then at that point, you got to spot the ball and go play.

Question: Hey, coach, you talked about your developing relationship with Trinidad and we know his story, how incredible it is. I just want to ask you, even though he wasn’t in your room all year, what’s impressed you the most since he’s come on campus leadership wise and all that?

Coach Golding: I think kind of when he first got here. I think you’re talking about a guy that won a national championship at a different level. That was the player of the year at that level, to come in and be a backup from the jump and how he handled that. And you never heard him, I never heard him talking or complaining or anything like that.

I just felt like he came in and went to work. Accepted the role that where he was at at that point. Uh, and then just took it to where, hey, I’m going to grind, I’m going to work. And when my opportunity comes, I’m going to be ready. And I think that’s the message for our whole team. And that’s what I told him about the Jalen-Tua situation. The two times that Bama for me you know you got Jalen who’s 18-1 as a starter and a national champion that I remember the halftime of them talking about pulling him or not right. And then Tua coming in the second and 26 and winning the national championship game. And then fast forward to the next SEC championship. Tua started all year. Goes out in the third quarter gets hurt, down ten right. And then who comes in? Jalen right. But it’s because that decision that he made when he got pulled hey I’m just going to outwork everybody else I don’t control whether I play or not. But I’m going to get another opportunity. I’m not going to be ready when my opportunity comes. And he came back and won the SEC Championship and then went on and competed for a national championship.

So that’s that mentality. That’s that mentality that Trinidad had to me. And I think he’s an unbelievable example now, that of the leader of the team and had a lot of success having that attitude the entire time, I think spreads. And so hopefully all these other guys are doing that exact thing of buying in and preparing like a starter because they don’t know when their opportunity is going to come. Well, one of them in here, it will. And whether it’s this Saturday right. Our future game, whatever that is, it’s going to happen. And so the worst thing that you could do is have had the wrong mindset and not prepare like you’re going to have that opportunity and not be prepared when that opportunity comes because you’re going to affect everybody in this room. So I think that was the most thing that I was impressed about from Trinidad was just his work ethic. Right. And the leadership ability by not saying anything. I think a lot of guys come in here as a first year player and they start running their mouth, and they haven’t earned that respect from the people in the room. And he did it by his work ethic. And when he had the opportunity to come into scrimmages and play, he played at a really high level. This isn’t something that like, he beat Austin out, Austin got hurt, but when that happened, he was ready to roll. And then at that point he’s like, I’m not going to lose it. So I love that mentality of him.

Question: Can you talk about the Ole Miss culture that you’re now in charge of growing and developing, and what a Pete Golding culture looks like?

Coach Golding: You know, I think competitive, number one, I think that’s not something that’s just started. You know, I think that’s something that’s been around here a long time. At the end of the day they keep score, you know. And if you keep score, the objects to win the game. Right. And no difference from players that we’re trying to recruit. We’re trying to recruit players to help win games. Right. You’re hiring coaches to try to help win games. Right. And I know that’s that’s what we’re judged based on. And they’ve done it at a really high level here consistently over the last couple years. So I think competition is number one.

But I think that comes like, you know, there’s got to be some interior motivation. All the exterior factors, in my opinion, of what college football used to use was the NFL. And so you had elite players that wanted to get to NFL because they wanted that payday. Well, they’ve already got it now, right? So they’ve got nice cars. They’re in nice condos, Some of them in the country club by me. They’ve already got what you used to have to work hard to, they have. And so at the end of the day, if there’s not that interior motivation to want to compete and want to be the best player in my position and want to be the best team in the country, to want to leave a legacy right, for this team that’s never been done here before, right, then you’re going to fall short. And I think that’s what gets lost in the recruiting process.

When you just go back to the tape and you’re watching the tape, like, does the guy love football or does he love what football can do for them? And so we want a group of guys that love football, that are tough, competitive, that are wired the right way, that just want to spot the ball. And we’ve talked about that before. So I think we got a really good nucleus of guys like that. And when you have guys like that, it’s really easy to weed out the other ones because if they don’t jump on, they eliminate themselves. But I think that’s really important in the recruiting process. And I think we’ve done a really good job here.

(Feature image credit: Daylan Flowers, Rebel Walk)