Ole Miss has exceeded expectations this season. Not only have the Rebels advanced to their first College Football Playoff appearance, but they are set to play in the CFP semifinals despite former coach Lane Kiffin leaving them for LSU before the playoff began.
Following Kiffin’s departure, defensive coordinator Pete Golding was elevated to head coach and led the Rebels to victories over Tulane and Georgia in the CFP. Now, Golding and Ole Miss will face Miami on Thursday with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
Before the game, Golding met with the media and was asked what his message is to Kiffin amid Ole Miss’s run in the CFP.
“I think our team had a message,” Golding responded. “They had a message by how they prepared and how they played, and that they weren’t tired of playing. I do think the message is ‘I’m replaceable, you’re replaceable, our players are replaceable.’ I think you want to build a program to where it’s heading in the right direction, and one person, one player, that’s not gonna derail that. There’s been too much invested in that and it’s been aligned correctly that one person is not gonna impact something so drastically. If it is it’s probably not built right. ... The only thing that’s different is who’s running out of the tunnel. To be honest with you, I don’t think the players give a damn about who runs them out of the tunnel. They care about the plan. They care about getting held accountable and how they’re going to prepare. They care about people that care about them.
“I think that’s been the message our players have created, but I don’t have s--- to say to anybody else.”
“I think our team had a message… that they weren’t tired of playing. They care about people that care about them… But I don’t have s—t to say to anybody else.”@OleMissFB HC Pete Golding when asked if he had a message for Lane Kiffin 🎤 pic.twitter.com/bqQITHcq93
— Fiesta Sports Foundation (@Fiesta_Bowl) January 7, 2026
Golding emphasized that “it’s a team game” and also said he believed Kiffin’s departure couldn’t have come at a better time for the players because “everything was already in place” and there was “already a culture created.”
The departure of Kiffin might have initially been a distraction, but it wasn’t too much for the Ole Miss players to overcome as they’ve reached the semifinal. The players will once again see the spotlight back on them—which they’ve earned—as they look to take down Miami and pursue the championship.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pete Golding Had Blunt Comment on Message to Lane Kiffin Amid Ole Miss CFP Run.
