How did Pete Golding pull that off?
How did a pretty-to-damn-good assistant with no head coaching experience just become the permanent head coach of an SEC standout?
The above Tweet seems to be the first of the “threatened” talk. Before it, Kiffin was the guy everybody wanted. After it: He’s a scumbag, people understand him leaving as a business decision but didn’t like the way he left, he’s shown his true colors, a scorpion is going to do what a scorpion always does, psychopath, Al Davis told us but we didn’t listen, narcissist, he doesn’t care about the kids, again and again with he’s shown his true colors, he lied through the documentary. I was surprised at how many I follow for other than football content were getting in on the fun.
McMurphy’s really good. I don’t doubt his reporting in the slightest, but I’m wondering about hoi polloi’s interpretation of “essentially.” The linked article (here’s an archived link if you’re having trouble with the paywall) describes a pretty bland process where there was actual mystery about the outcome, though “there is growing confidence in LSU’s camp.” There’s nothing about demanding or threatening, essentially or otherwise. We’ve got an assessment from an anonymous source. No idea why he or she would say “essentially demanded” and “threatened” as opposed to “demanded” and “threatened.” Kiffin was direct and entitled and the source is verbose or the source is close to the negotiating team, frustrated with a reasonable request. We’re stuck somewhere in the plausible simile range of an unknown insider.
The closest we get in the article is that “Sources have told On3 that Kiffin has discussed making the move to LSU with some offensive staff members.” There’s nothing odd about that. Fans are always getting mad about this or that coach poaching on the way out. I cursed Kirby for waylaying poor Mel Tucker and dragging him to Georgia after the 2015 season, but that was a fan’s obligation and my heart wasn’t really in it. (It should be mentioned that Kirby took the GA job on December 6, 2015 and stayed with Alabama through the January National Championship Game, as it’s suddenly an absurd and outrageous consideration.)
That didn’t stop Twitter reacting immediately.
How was it going to work? The other coaches answer to Kiffin as a matter of football hierarchy, but they’re employed by the university. He might have offered them all a job at LSU, but then it would be up to them to negotiate buyouts and such and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a coaching regime up and lift all personnel and resettle. He’d have to think he couldn’t hire better with his shiny new budget. He’d have to have an agreement with all to quit on his order. That doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I suppose he was capable of doing the opposite: he might convince assistants worried about next year’s paychecks to hold off job hunting. Assistants don’t fare well when the head guy leaves and they didn’t know if Ole Miss would keep them around. They didn’t know who the new guy at Ole Miss was going to be much less if he’d retain them. They might get antsy, send out feelers and gift baskets. Maybe they’d feel better about playoff chances with, than without, the head guy and less likely to let slip a probably once in a lifetime championship shot. They’d likely stick around to be part of the run anyway. If there was a Tessio, Kiffin might shepherd him back to the fold.
There’s a lot of wiggle either way in essentially. Who knows what Kiffin got up to? Lane’s no angel, that’s why he’s fun.
That brings me to former Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator now Head Coach Pete Golding. What the hell happened there?
Golding’s a good defensive coach at times. Ole Miss is currently 9th in the SEC in yards allowed per game, 8th in points per, but he’s vicious when he needs to be. Kind of the opposite of how he was at Alabama. He did a pretty good job at there, though fans grumbled about “third and Golding”: good on third and short, but God help the Tide if the opponent needed more than six for a first. It was uncanny how often Bama was kept on the field. He left Tuscaloosa for Oxford on good terms. There were Mississippi family ties cited. It absolutely had nothing to do with the DUI he got in Northport, just outside of Tuscaloosa, shortly before his departure. All parties agree.
How did a pretty-to-damn-good assistant with no head coaching experience just become the permanent head coach of an SEC standout? We don’t have dollar details yet, but we’re told he’s the permanent head coach. Not interim. If Ole Miss thinks he’s got a gambling shot to win it all, maybe they’d want to lock him down now instead of negotiating with a national champion. That’s a hell of a gamble. He doesn’t seem to have an agent right now, but win or place, he’ll have his pick for the inevitable re-negotiations so whatever concessions are made now are fleeting. That goes for both sides.
I’m certain that if he pitched himself, Golding pitched himself as the guy who can hold the team together. They’d want an even, familiar hand at the wheel so he’d be foolish not to put himself forward as such. If I were Old Miss, he’d be the natural choice as interim. But he’s not. He’s permanent. What made Ole Miss offer the kingdom instead of a rent-to-own arrangement?
If you can hold the team together, it’s implicit that the team needs holding together. I don’t know what was said or why anything was done, but Golding is making out like a bandit. Did he essentially do something?
If he held out to get the interim tag removed, I’m a Golding fan. Good job, coach. Say “leveraged uncertainty” and leave “threatened” for that LSU guy.
In the meantime, evil Kiffin let the dishonorably poached Offensive Coordinator, Charlie Weis the Lesser return to Oxford for the remainder of the playoffs. He isn’t evil and won’t poach players and staff like Kiffin would so Weis can come back to Oxford where decency says he belongs. It’s unheard of and absurd that they’d let a coach contracted to another school coach Ole Miss during the playoffs if you don’t remember Kirby in 2015 or know about the either/or goings on with Tulane’s John Sumrall and North Texas’s Neal Brown right now. Foxes in hen houses are fine now.
Ole Miss gave Kiffin an ultimatum. He wanted to stay but they wouldn’t let him without signing an extension or otherwise swearing loyalty. I’m really not sure of the mechanics unless they were prepared to pay him his buyout, but apparently they were able to set a deadline. He wanted LSU more. I don’t see much benefit for Ole Miss as far as recruiting and retaining. Lane’s got more free time to build LSU up. That’s different. He’s still got all his old players’ and coaches’ numbers. Somewhere around here I’ve got a scrap of paper where I took notes and did old fashioned paper math but it’s off doing something unauthorized right now. Roughly 40% (38 point something if I could find the scrap) of the 105 man Ole Miss roster transferred in from somewhere else. A mercenary spirit was already about the place. That’s college football now.
Twitter took “essentially” and ran. I don’t know that we’ll ever know who was the baddie. It looks to me like Ole Miss unnecessarily took things to the brink, forcing Kiffin to choose, but I can see why people would think the opposite. It doesn’t matter. Twitter decided early and here we are.
Those in the Ole Miss camp—those actually working or playing for as opposed to fans of—are putting on their best face. They’re better off. This is great, actually. They live in the best of all possible worlds. The wagons are circled. They essentially didn’t want Kiffin around anyway. They’ll be a fun team to watch.
Meanwhile, Penn State’s coaching search has been a disaster. They got a sizable head start on the field and putzed about. After they fired Franklin, a combination of rumor and reporting says they tried to get Urban Meyer, but he wanted more NIL money. I’ve heard they tried to bring Mike Elko in, but I don’t believe that. I don’t see PSU thinking they’d have a chance against Texas A&M given A&M’s current success and money. Other names thrown about: Cignetti, Rhule, Freeman, Drinkwitz, and Lea. I’m fond of the rumor that they hoped for an Alabama loss against Auburn to court DeBoer after the inevitable fan pummeling. They may get him yet. But as it stand, they’re floundering. More names: Sitake, Cambell, Brown. Still nothing. They’re supposedly offering more than Franklin’s $9.4 million per year and there is NIL money, if not enough for Meyer… allegedly.
There’s no word yet on what Ole Miss and Permanent Head Coach Golding have agreed to, but keeping him calmed the Rebel faithful. Penn State has a chance to do the funniest thing.