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Who is Pete Golding? New Ole Miss coach's wife, family, salary, net worth; all you need to know
Pete Golding is the new Ole Miss head coach after Lane Kiffin's messy exit and new gig at LSU.
Ole Miss Rebels have officially announced their defensive coordinator Pete Golding is getting the head coach position. This comes after the in-demand Lane Kiffin made a messy exit for LSU.
Golding is the 40th head coach at Ole Miss, and after taking on the mantle, he said, “Ole Miss Football is special. Since the day I arrived, I’ve felt the passion, pride and unwavering support of Rebel Nation. This is a place where expectations are high, and football is woven into the fabric of the community. Our mission moving forward is clear: we will play with toughness, discipline and relentless effort in everything we do. We will recruit at the highest level, develop our players on and off the field, and compete every single day to bring championships to Oxford. Most importantly, we will represent this university with class and integrity. To the Ole Miss family, thank you for your support and belief. I’m excited for what’s ahead, and I can’t wait to attack this challenge together.”
Prior to announcing Golding's appointment, Ole Miss put out a teasing shark emoticon, a nod to how the defensive coordinator would announce new joiners to the team.
Notably, this is the first time the 41-year-old has landed a head coach gig, though he's had extensive experience as a defensive coordinator. Naturally, there's a lot of interest around Golding, now that he's replaced Kiffin.
Also Read | Lane Kiffin Ole Miss saga: Why Keith Carter is mentioned in LSU coach's last message to fans
Here's everything to know about the new Ole Miss coach.
Who is Pete Golding?
Golding was hired by Kiffin in 2023. He's been with Ole Miss since. Prior to that, he's had defensive coordinator stints with Alabama, University of Texas at San Antonio, Southeastern Louisiana, Delta State, and Tusculum.
With Golding as defensive coordinator, Rebels had allowed just 18.5 points per game.
Pete Golding wife and family
Golding is from Hammond, Louisiana, and is married to Carolyn. She is a graduate from Ole Miss, and the two have donated for the betterment of the university.
The couple donated $100,000 in 2024 for the Patterson School Building Fund, which supports the effort to build a new home for the school, Ole Miss noted.
Carolyn Golding graduated in 2007 and is a Taylor Medalist – the university's highest academic honor. “I wanted to support the school so that it can continue to grow and keep its high standards,” she'd told Ole Miss at the time. Carolyn is a native of Delta town of Cleveland and earned her Master of Tax Degree at UM in 2008. She also got a Juris Doctor from the School of Law in 2011.
Carolyn worked for numerous CPA firms. She taught at University of Texas at San Antonio prior to starting her joining Ole Miss as a teacher in 2015. Carolyn met Pete Golding in Cleveland, when he played football for Delta State University. The couple have three kids, a daughter and two sons. They are Braxton, Bentley and Bailey.
Pete Golding Ole Miss net worth and salary
Golding's salary as defensive coordinator is $2.55 million in 2025. This will increase through 2027, to about $2.7 million. However, it appears now he'll make more as the head coach.
His earlier deal would have seen him get an additional $50,000 if the Rebels won the SEC championship and $150,000 if they won the College Football Playoff national championship.
While Golding earns in millions, his exact net worth is not public information.
