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Pete Golding just received one of the best compliments from his former boss at Alabama.
Nick Saban expressed how important Golding was to him on his staff and why he'll succeed at Ole Miss.
"Well, I think Pete is a ball guy, and was one of the best coaches that we had, and we had some good ones who are having a lot of success out there as head coaches, and I think Pete's going to fit into that. He's very authentic. He's a good football guy. He knows personnel. He can recruit really well, and I think they probably have as good a roster.”
Coach Saban's coaching tree
It is important to realize what other head coaches have been on Saban's staff, to truly appreciate how impressive it is for Golding to be named one of the best coaches he ever had.
From 2008-2015, Alabama's defensive coordinator was Kirby Smart, who is now the head coach at the University of Georgia.
Since he got to Athens, Smart has won back-to-back National Championships and consistently gets the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff.
Saban also hired a linebacker coach by the name of Dan Lanning in 2015.
Lanning is now the head coach of the Oregon Ducks and was a game away from making it to the national championship game last year.
Golding is definitely in good company when he is mentioned as one of the best coaches from Saban’s legendary coaching tree.
Why Saban thinks Golding will succeed
Saban also shared why Golding can succeed at Ole Miss as head coach.
“They have a great quarterback and Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy as a runner. I mean, when you have those two pieces, that is a great starting point to have a great offensive team."
The Rebels have a Golding opportunity to make a deep playoff run because of these two players. Chambliss currently has the third-best chances to win the Heisman, and many people are saying Lacy is one of the best running backs in the country this year.
Ole Miss has the best backfield in college football.
These guys bring a ton of talent to the offense, but they also have very important experience. Golding has brought in a lot of transfers to the receiving core and the running back room that could learn from Chambliss and Lacy.
Apart from wide receiver Deuce Alexander, the Rebels lost all their top pass catchers. Darrell Gill Jr., Johntay Cook II, and Jase Mathews all came to Oxford to fill those roles. Chambliss can teach these guys how to thrive in an SEC environment.
He knows what it takes to win big games or perform well on the road, and that experience will help these new transfers a lot. It’s the same thing with Lacy. He ran for 1500 yards on 300 carries last season and was a Doak Walker Award finalist.
Golding brought in three running backs to take some of the heavy load off Lacy. He will be able to show those guys how to handle an SEC run defense.
Saban has quite the resume at Alabama, and if anybody were doubting Pete Golding as a head coach, they now would have to argue with a guy who has seven national championships under his belt and a statue of himself built outside of Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/olemiss as Nick Saban's High Praise for Pete Golding Says Everything About His Impact.
