Pete Golding Takes On Critics, Tampering Claims and Kiffin Comments at SEC Meetings
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – At his first Southeastern Conference spring meetings at the beach, Ole Miss coach Pete Golding did not just dip his toe into the dying waves onshore, he dove headfirst into the Gulf.
Prior to his first regular season as head coach of the Rebels, Golding and his team have been on the receiving end of shots from a variety of origins from around the country and Golding has not dodged any of them. He has advised his team to do the same.
“I couldn’t care less what everybody else thinks of us. I think our players understand, there’s a bull’s eye and a circle on them now based on their success and what they’ve done on the field. They’ve got to be able to block out the noise.”
Pete Golding
After former coach Lane Kiffin left the team before its inaugural appearance in the College Football Playoffs, Golding led the Rebels to wins over Tulane and Georgia and fell 19 seconds short of defeating Miami to advance to the national title game.
Six months into his tenure at LSU, the former Rebels’ coach gave a lengthy interview with Vanity Fair in which he referenced the racial history at Ole Miss and the state of Mississippi. Golding addressed that issue Wednesday.
“The breakup (Kiffin leaving for LSU) wasn’t perfect,” Golding said.
“Some of those last comments that he made, I think anybody that’s been to Oxford knows that’s not where we’re at right now. I’ve lived all over the Southeast, and we all got our own issues, but I think the biggest thing is make sure people come to Oxford and see for themselves.“
Pete Golding on Kiffin’s comments
Apart from Kiffin’s comments to Vanity Fair, he has made several other comments about Ole Miss to other media outlets. That is a fact not lost on Golding, but he keeps Kiffin’s public statements separate from his personal relationship with him.
“Obviously there’s a Lane side for us that we’re buddies and are friends, and then there’s professional side that I have to get on his ass about a little bit sometimes,” Golding said. “Every time he gets in front of a camera, they’re bringing up Ole Miss.”
Kiffin is not the only coach to fire missives at Ole Miss this offseason. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian made comments about the academic superiority of his school over the University of Mississippi. Sarkisian said a student can get a degree in basket weaving at Ole Miss, something Golding took with a grain of salt and turned into a recruiting tool.
“I told (Sarkisian) I appreciate it. I know if I’m a transfer, I’d much rather take basket weaving than biology. We appreciate (his) help and support.“
Pete Golding
The biggest shot at Golding has come from Clemson coach Dabo Swinney. He accused Golding of blatant tampering in the transfer of linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Accordingly, the NCAA has announced an investigation into the matter.
“That’s why we have a compliance department,” Golding said. “There’s been an investigation, and all that type of stuff will come out. We know the guidelines in place. It’s my responsibility to hold (assistant coaches) accountable and to set a really good example.”
Golding does point out tampering has run rampant in the transfers in college football. Ole Miss lost three defensive starters to LSU, although Golding did not mention that school by name.
“Not comparing (Ferrelli) to a guy who’s been a (multiyear) starter somewhere that wasn’t in the portal that’s at a new school now after going to a semifinal — like, what are we doing?” Golding said. “That’s the piece where everybody’s at. There’s an enforcement of (Ferrelli), who just took an (official visit to Ole Miss), but there’s not an enforcement of (former Ole Miss linebacker T.J. Dottery) who’s … been here for three years, and he’s been tampered with the entire time? What are we doing?“
Pete Golding on tampering
Golding also questioned what he sees as the inconsistent enforcement surrounding tampering in college football, particularly when it comes to coaches versus players. While discussing the current landscape of the sport, he pointed to the irony of strict scrutiny over player movement while coaching departures and behind-the-scenes job discussions often face far less criticism — a topic that clearly still resonates after Lane Kiffin’s departure from Ole Miss before the Rebels’ playoff run.
“We’re talking about the new Kiffin rule and all this s—, but who do you think is meeting with these [coaches] and offering them a job?” Golding said. “Where we’re at in college football is not a really good place right now. A lot of things make headlines and there’s a lot more people involved that everybody might not know at this point. … Some things you feel shouldn’t matter that they’re making a big deal about, but I think it’s about the enforcement of it, and that’s what everybody wants: What are the rules, and is everybody going to be held accountable to the same standard? Up to this point, that hasn’t been the case.“
Pete Golding
If this has been the offseason for Golding, once the Rebels kick the season off in Nashville against Louisville Sept. 6, navigating the regular season waters could seem like an afternoon cruise on the waters of Destin.
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.
