Alabama DC Pete Golding addresses possibility of taking head coach job

The college football coaching carousel is pretty much over, but now it’s worth wondering which assistants could pop up next time around. Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding wasted no time in sharing his thoughts.

Golding, 37, spoke about potentially being a head coach this week ahead of the Cotton Bowl against Cincinnati. He’s been with Alabama since 2018 and saw his name come up in coaching rumors this season, including the Louisiana job.

He doesn’t seem interested in leaving Alabama anytime soon.

“Obviously, I took this job to work for the best football coach that has ever coached the game, in my opinion,” Golding told reporters. “So I learned something new every day. I’ve always been one that, regardless of where I was at, to be where my feet are, to do the best job where I’m at, to try to prepare our kids the best way to develop them on and off the field. So I’ve always been one, I think if you do a really good job where you’re at, which, obviously, a lot of people before me have, then opportunities will come.

“I promise you I’m in no rush to be a head coach. I think a lot of that is overrated. I got into this profession to develop players, to be in that room, to have fun with them. And I think sometimes, depending upon where you’re at, you don’t get that anymore.”

Alabama’s defense had a great year under Golding this season. The Crimson Tide rank eighth in the nation in total defense, holding teams to 306.1 yards per game. That’ll be huge against Cincinnati on Friday considering the Bearcats average 428.9 total yards per game.

Will Anderson: ‘It’s win or go home’ time for Alabama

Alabama is getting ready to do something no team has done before: Play a G5 team in the College Football Playoff. That doesn’t mean the stakes aren’t high, though.

Just ask Will Anderson.

Alabama and Cincinnati are gearing up to square off in the Cotton Bowl on Friday in the CFP semifinals. The winner gets a ticket to the national championship. The loser heads back to campus.

Anderson knows which side he wants to be on when the horn sounds.

“As a leadership group, we came together and we just have to tell the team, ‘We know what’s at stake. It’s win or go home,’” Anderson told reporters. “‘We don’t want to go home. We want to win.’ … I think everybody just needs to be locked in on what’s going on right now, and the main focus is winning this game and being all-in. Nobody needs to be distracted, going out, running in the streets, anything like that.”