Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator to Remain Play-Caller After Advice from Brent Venables

Pete Golding will continue to call defensive plays for the Rebels after speaking with the Oklahoma head coach.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 3:08am

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A fragmented, cubist-style painting depicting the chaotic action of a college football defensive play, with sharp geometric shapes in muted earth tones representing the players and movement on the field.Golding's continued leadership of the Ole Miss defense aims to build on the Rebels' strong 2025 season.Oxford Today

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding will remain the team's play-caller in 2026 after getting advice from Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables. Golding had initially planned to take more of a 'CEO' role, but Venables encouraged him to stick with what got him the job - calling the defense. The Rebels had a strong defensive season in 2025, ranking 9th in the SEC in points allowed.

Why it matters

Maintaining continuity on the defensive side of the ball will be crucial for Ole Miss as they look to build on last year's College Football Playoff appearance. Golding's play-calling was a big part of the Rebels' success, and Venables' advice reinforces the value of Golding staying in that role.

The details

After Lane Kiffin's departure for LSU, Golding initially planned to take more of a 'CEO' type role and delegate defensive play-calling duties. However, he spoke with Venables, who encouraged him to continue calling the defense, as that was a key reason he got the job in the first place. Venables made a similar decision at Oklahoma, taking back play-calling duties after delegating them initially. The Sooners then had one of the top defenses in the SEC.

  • In 2025, Ole Miss allowed 348 yards per game and 21.1 points per game, ranking 9th in the SEC.
  • After the 2025 season, Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss to become the head coach at LSU.
  • In early 2026, Pete Golding spoke with Brent Venables, who advised him to continue calling defensive plays for the Rebels.

The players

Pete Golding

The defensive coordinator for the Ole Miss Rebels football team.

Brent Venables

The head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team, who previously served as the defensive coordinator at Clemson.

Lane Kiffin

The former head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, who left the team after the 2025 season to become the head coach at LSU.

Patrick Toney

The former defensive coordinator for the Ole Miss Rebels, who left to take a job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Bryan Brown

The new defensive coordinator for the Ole Miss Rebels, replacing Patrick Toney.

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What they’re saying

“He's just like, 'Look, you got that job for a lot of reasons, but the primary reason is you've always done a really good job with the defense, and if you're able to do that, you need to continue to do that.'”

— Pete Golding, Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator

“Originally that's why I didn't want to take a head job, because I had it in my mind when I was going to take a job I was going to be tired of calling plays and running a room and going on the road and I was going to be more of a CEO and kind of give that piece up. It always had kind of been my mindset that if you take one of these, that's what you need to do, and it kind of changed for me to be honest with you when I called Brent Venables.”

— Pete Golding, Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator

What’s next

The Ole Miss defense will look to build on its strong 2025 season under Golding's continued play-calling in 2026.

The takeaway

Golding's decision to keep calling defensive plays, based on Venables' advice, shows the value of experienced coaches sharing wisdom to help develop up-and-coming coordinators. This continuity should benefit the Rebels as they aim to return to the College Football Playoff.