SerpApi.Org
TAMPA, Fla. -- Ole Miss coach Pete Golding didn't hold back in his first appearance at SEC media days Wednesday, saying his relationship with LSU coach Lane Kiffin is good while defending his program against tampering allegations by Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.
Golding, who was promoted to head coach after Kiffin left for LSU during the Rebels' surprising College Football Playoff run last season, said he has no ill feelings toward his former boss.
"Lane and I are great, man," Golding told ESPN. "I can't wait for him every morning to call me or text me. It's just the highlight of my day."
Golding revealed that he purchased one of Kiffin's houses in Oxford, Mississippi.
"He's still got another one for sale, but I bought one of them," Golding said. "But he was kind of redoing it and hadn't finished everything yet, so I bought it."
On the field, Golding inherited a nearly finished product from Kiffin. With the return of quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and tailback Kewan Lacy, the Rebels are expected to be among the top contenders for an SEC title and a second straight CFP appearance.
Chambliss and Lacy weighed whether to return to Ole Miss or join Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. at LSU.
That's when Golding had a discussion with the players about their legacies.
"Who are you going to use?" Golding asked the players. "Like, either college football uses you or you use college football. At some point, you've got to use an alumni base to be able to get a job and to be able to do this and to do that. And where are you going to bring your kids? Where's your alma mater? What jersey are they wearing? Y'all two in one season created a legacy that's going to be hard for anybody to ever overtake."
While meeting with Chambliss and Lacy in his office, Golding told them to search for Kiffin's name on the Internet.
"Just Google 'Lane Kiffin,'" Golding told them. "A dude that they would have built a statue of here three days ago. Google his name right now. They wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire, right? And so they're going to do the same thing to y'all two if you do what?"
Both players ended up re-signing with Ole Miss to return for another season. Golding said Lacy agreed to his deal during a 3 a.m. telephone call. Chambliss had to get a preliminary injunction from a Mississippi state court to get another season of eligibility.
Still, Golding said he doesn't harbor ill feelings toward Kiffin, even after Kiffin wouldn't allow some of his coaches to join the Rebels during their CFP run.
Golding's relationship with Kiffin remains a hot topic in the state, especially at Ole Miss booster meetings this summer.
LSU plays at Ole Miss on Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in what will be one of the most anticipated games of the season.
"Every Tuesday and Thursday, everybody is like, 'How do you really feel about him?'" Golding said. "There's this view that I hate him and we fight and all that. I just tell him the truth -- that it's not what is portrayed.
"We had one issue about what he was doing to the staff. I just called him from a professional standpoint and was like, 'Dude, I don't appreciate this. I don't think it's right.' Outside of that, there's nothing. I mean, he's an idiot like everybody knows. I mean, it's fine."
Golding also didn't mince his words when he was asked about the NCAA enforcement staff's ongoing investigation of the Rebels' alleged tampering with linebacker Luke Ferrelli, who left California for Clemson before abruptly transferring to Ole Miss.
"I don't think there's any way to single me out because when they come in, they're investigating the player and anybody that was involved in the player," Golding said. "And there's not a player that went to any school in the country where only one school called. Does that make sense?"
During the Jan. 23 news conference, Swinney called the Rebels' pursuit of Ferrelli a "straightforward case of tampering." Ferrelli, the 2025 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year at Cal, signed a revenue-sharing contract with Clemson after entering the transfer portal. He moved into an apartment in Clemson, South Carolina, enrolled in school and began offseason workouts with the Tigers.
Swinney alleged that Golding texted Ferrelli during an 8 a.m. class and asked for the amount of his buyout at Clemson. Then Golding sent Ferrelli a photo of a $1 million contract offer, according to Swinney.
"They're coming to get the evidence on Luke Ferrelli, then they're going to get the evidence on Luke Ferrelli for whoever contacted Luke Ferrelli," Golding said. "So, whoever contacted Luke Ferrelli in December prior to January, they got him. And I can assure you there's a bunch of them, right? I mean, like, who didn't? He was an All-American freshman at Cal, and they sucked."
