The Ole Miss Rebels were the only team in the history of College Football Playoff who not only had to deal with a head coaching change, but put convince a majority of its assitant staff to stay back and get through its CFP run.
Golding showed why he deserved the permanent head coaching role the way he convinced every assistant head coach who had already signed with LSU to work double jobs for Ole Miss's sake.
While Golding has previously opened up about how he negotiated with Weis Jr. and others to stay back, Monday's press conference was perhaps the first time Golding shared what he truly felt about the whole situation: disappointed because he had to convince grown men to finish what they started.
Pete Golding's only disappointment
"So was it a challenge? It was disappointing for me being the time of it’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, leading up to a Wednesday signing day that instead of talking to recruits, parents, and recruits, you’re meeting with grown men and trying to convince them of why they should finish what they started. But other than that, it was fine," Golding said, indirectly saying out loud the damage Kiffin's ill-timed exit did to the program.
“So obviously, we’ve got a really good relationship with them on a personal level anyway. So I think there’s a respect factor, regardless of the chair that you’re sitting in, that they want to do it the right way, not only for their players, but for the other people in the building," he further added.
As the head coach of that staff, Golding leads Ole Miss to another rematch against Georgia at the sugar Bowl on New Year's.