CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State University proudly congratulates alumnus Pete Golding on being named the 41st head football coach at the University of Mississippi.
Minutes after Lane Kiffin's departure to LSU, Golding – a 2005 Delta State graduate, Statesmen Hall of Famer, and one of the most decorated players in program history – was elevated to lead the No. 7-ranked Rebels into the College Football Playoff. With today's appointment, Golding becomes the first former Delta State player ever to be named head coach at the Division I Power 4 level.
Director of Athletics, Mike Kinnison, stated, "Our Statesman Family congratulates Pete and his family on a well-deserved promotion and opportunity to lead a nationally ranked program. He has worked his way through the ranks to establish himself as one of the top defensive coordinators in Division I football. He has earned this head coaching opportunity and will work extremely hard to keep the Ole Miss program prominent on the national level."
A four-year starting safety from 2002-05, Golding garnered All-Gulf South Conference honors in 2004 after leading the team with 85 tackles, two interceptions, and eight pass break-ups. He finished his playing career ranked third in DSU history with 285 tackles and fourth with nine interceptions. He returned to Cleveland as a graduate assistant in 2006 under Head Coach Rick Rhoades, where the Statesmen recorded a 12-3 mark, won the Gulf South Conference and NCAA South Region titles, and advanced to the Division II semifinals.
Golding then served as defensive backs coach then defensive coordinator at Tusculum University (2007-09) and returned to Delta State as defensive coordinator (2010-11) under Head Coach Ron Roberts, leading the Green-and-White to an 11-4 record, conference and regional championships, and the program's second NCAA Division II National Championship Game appearance in 10 years.
After leaving Delta State, Golding continued his rapid climb through the coaching ranks. He served as defensive coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana (2012-13) and later at the University of Texas at San Antonio (2016-17), with a two-year stop as safeties coach at Southern Miss (2014-15) in between. In 2018, he joined Nick Saban's staff at Alabama as inside linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator the following season (2019-22). During the 2020 season, his defense played a key role in Alabama's national championship win over Ohio State, holding the high-powered Buckeyes to just 24 points. Golding then brought that same expertise to Ole Miss as defensive coordinator (2023-25) before today's historic promotion to head coach of the Rebels.
Delta State University extends its heartfelt congratulations to Pete, his wife Carolyn, and children Braxton, Bentley, and Bailey. The Statesmen family will be cheering loudly from Cleveland as Coach Golding begins this groundbreaking chapter in Oxford.
