Inside Ole Miss Spring Football: Coach Golding Evaluates Growth, Consistency and Roster Stability
OXFORD, Miss. — As Ole Miss continues to stack spring practices under head coach Pete Golding, the picture of this 2026 team is starting to come into focus. From position battles to player development and even roster management in a changing college football landscape, Golding offered a detailed look Tuesday at where his team stands — and where it still needs to grow — as the Rebels push through a critical stretch of spring work.
Player Groups
To get the presser started, Golding was asked about the quarterback room and what he is seeing from AJ Maddox.
“Yeah. I mean, obviously, that’s one of those personal things to me. I was involved in his recruitment and, obviously, had played with his dad. And AJ ( Maddox) was committed to A&M when I first came over, so it was really a late recruitment piece, but he’s super talented. We’ve always loved AJ. His arm talent, ability to extend plays, and continuing to develop his body in the weight room. I think he’s got a much better understanding of the offense. I think consistency and performance, obviously, are the big things that we’re looking for. You see the flashes; he can make all the throws. Think he’s just consistently making really good decisions, but he’s competing his butt off. So this isn’t something to where, ‘Hey, here’s 1-2-3, in that order,’ by any means. He’s coming in every day and going to work and stringing together some good practices.“
– Pete Golding on AJ Maddox
Golding also praised the running back room today. He highlighted their team-oriented approach and how their depth compares to past seasons.
“Yeah, I think number one is the mentality. I think they’re a team-first group that’s led by coach (Frank) Wilson, and they’ve worked extremely hard not to let egos get in the way, but they’re all a little different. And like we kind of talked about before, we wanted some guys with some experience, which we brought in, and then obviously bringing in JT (Lindsey), which we think has the extreme upside, you know, obviously hasn’t had the experience, but really explosives got top end speed. So, really, like how that group’s just going to work, obviously, with Kewan (Lacy), you know, coming back from the injuries, allows those guys to get a lot of the reps, and that’s rotating a lot of those guys, including Shekai (Mills-Knight). So just really appreciate their work ethic and their commitment to coming every day, you know, like a pro. And I think that’s led by Coach Wilson, but I would say the mentality number one, and then obviously the depth of that position, you know, you feel like, regardless whether you’re going the one, two, three, or four up there, it’s like, ‘Man, this kid’s got a chance.’ And so you don’t see that drop off that I felt like we’ve had before. So it’s a pretty good spot.“
Pete Golding on RB room
He also shared his thoughts on his new set of defensive backs, saying consistency is the big thing they are working on.
“Yeah, I think flashes. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Golding said of his DBs. “I think you watch a couple of snaps like, ‘man, that’s what it should look like. That’s it. ‘ And then you watch the very next snap. ‘Holy s***. What just happened?’ So, you know, the inconsistency of that, obviously, which is why spring is so important for consistency and performance, especially at that position, where, if you screw it up back there, the band’s playing and it’s not yours, you know.”
Spring Practice and Injuries
At the beginning of spring workouts, Coach Golding mentioned his different phases for practice. When asked today, he reminded everyone that the team is still in phase two but will soon move to a new phase.
“Yeah, so we’re still in phase two, and we’ll transition to phase three on Sunday,” Golding said. “So our phase three is a mock game week, where we’ll actually put on full pads that Tuesday and really simulate what a game week really, really looks like. So we’re still in phase two. So right now we’re in shells. And so this is the third day of shells. But I love the physicality where it’s at. I think there were stages, notepads, right, helmets, and spiders, and then shells, and really understanding how to practice based on what we have going on, and then going into a game week, what that’s going to look like. So that’ll start Sunday,” he added.Â
Golding was asked about injuries on the team and he said that none of those are serious.
“No, nothing that will go in August. I mean, everything’s just very temporary. But, obviously, when you’re in this short window, you’ve got to finish by April 30, so it doesn’t allow you to extend it, which I’m in favor of, like we talked about last time. When you make this window so much bigger, if you get guys a little banged up at certain positions, you can’t go practice the way you want to….We just gotta do the best we can with what we’ve got. But nothing season-ending.“
– Golding on injury concerns for next season
Of course, conditioning plays a role in staying healthy.
“I think the conditioning component and making sure they’re hitting their high-speed yardage is really important to keep them injury-free. So Paul and the staff have done a great job,” Golding noted.Â
Spring Transfer Portal Window
Earlier this year, the NCAA did away with the second transfer portal in the spring. Coach Golding says he is a fan of that.
“Yeah, I’m a fan of whatever they put in place. I’m not getting into what my thoughts are. I think whatever the rules are at that point, that’s what we’ve got to work under. And we got to try to do it better than anybody else. So, once they went to one, you obviously need to have your roster in place. From a depth standpoint, I think that was the biggest thing that the old spring pool allowed you to do, if there were injuries or you took a guy that wasn’t who you thought he was, then you had the opportunity. But, you know, I love the fact of there’s not another, you know, period here where we’re negotiating contracts and super concerned on on losing players that you’ve invested a lot in. You know, this this short to the season. So I’m a fan of it, obviously, but it did make sure that you really had to do a great job, not only in the portal, but also in your high school…What I think it also allowed us to do is be a little more real during spring ball. I think last year you were really worried about how you managed the roster, and you were not doing depth charts and all those things, because the guy could get pissed off and leave at the end of April if he’s not thinking he’s the guy. So it’s allowed them to self-assess a little bit, you know, and do a better job grading, and tell them exactly where they’re at, and that’s what they have to prove on because, you know, they can’t go anywhere, which I think is really important for everybody. So, no, I’m a fan of it.”
– Golding on NCAA doing away with second transfer portal window
Coaching Advice and Social Media
Golding is in his fifth month as a head coach, having taken over at the end of November last year. After being asked about it, he mentioned the advice he received from other coaches.
“Don’t do it,” Golding said jokingly at first.
“I think all those guys, obviously, it’s who you surround yourself with. Number one, make sure you’re hiring really good coaches. But even more importantly, really good men don’t always go the friend route. First, make sure it’s a really, really good fit for where you’re at. And then all of them like, man, you’ve got to be yourself. You know, I think so many times we go, and we’ve been somewhere, been around somebody, and it’s been really successful, and we try to take that blueprint and do it verbatim, and it’s just not the same, not the same players, not the same coaches, not the same personality, what have you. So I think it’s always put really good people around you, man, just be you and recruit really well. Hold them accountable and try to maintain stability. Have stability in the system, and normally, the rest takes care of itself,” he added.
Coach Golding is famously known for his lack of social media presence. The most you’re gonna get out of the head ball coach is a shark emoji. He spoke about how active he is online and if he sees things that others say.
“I really don’t. I mean, obviously, I’ve got kids, right, and we’ve got people that work here and all that that do all that, so things get brought up, or someone will send me a text message, and so you definitely see certain things. But you know, I’m not good enough at this job to be on that all damn day and do this job. I don’t know how they do it. More power to them. I will learn one day, but there are enough things in the building that I need to do at a high level. Yeah, I definitely see some of it based on what gets sent to me.“
– Golding on his social media presence
Closing thoughts
With another phase of spring practice on the horizon and competition continuing across the roster, Ole Miss is beginning to take shape under Golding’s direction. There is still plenty to sort out before the fall, but the foundation is being built daily — one that leans on accountability, development, and a clearer sense of identity as the Rebels prepare for the 2026 season.
Parks Burcham
Parks Burcham is a sophomore at the University of Mississippi. He is majoring in Journalism, emphasis in Sports Media, with a minor in Sports Management. He is originally from Booneville, Mississippi and graduated high school from Jumpertown Attendance Center.His favorite sports are basketball and football. He chose this path because he has always been extremely interested in the sports world. Parks enjoys all aspects of the game and hopes to do great work in this field.
