Pete Golding: ‘The best players in Mississippi are going to stay and play at Ole Miss’

Recruiting is vital to a program’s success, especially in the SEC. Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding knows that very well. He also knows the value of making sure that Ole Miss is able to keep local talent home.

Golding explained that there is a lot that goes into their evaluation when it comes to recruiting. That includes getting players who have the right mentality and believe in what the coaching staff is building at Ole Miss.

“Absolutely, they love football,” Pete Golding said. “They’re tough. I think they’re competitive. They’ve got a little chip on their shoulder. This class, set by the guys on this team, I think they can see it that they can do something special here.”

Ole Miss has the 20th-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. That’s also the 11th-ranked class in the SEC. Ole Miss is also currently ranked third in the On3 2024 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

“I think when you get a lot of good players that are good people and you get them on the same team and the same common goal and you’ve got the right guy from the top,” Golding said. “There’s certain places that are aligned correctly, in my opinion, from the chancellor to the athletic director to the head coach. When that’s aligned and you get good players, special things happen, and I think they’re all seeing that. I think that’s a testament to our team this year making those guys see it.”

Recruiting in the state of Mississippi has been critical in roster building for the current staff. In Ole Miss’ 2024 class, 11 players from the state of Mississippi are currently signed. That includes five four-star recruits.

“To our staff from a recruiting standpoint, number one, identifying the right guys, evaluating them correctly, making sure they’re the right type of kids. For them to take a step of faith, to be honest with you,” Golding said.

“It’s like, hey, we can win a National Championship at Ole Miss. I think Coach Kiff [Lane Kiffin] has set the precedent like the best players at Mississippi are going to stay and play at Ole Miss. I think that was the emphasis, and for the most part, we got that done.”

Lane Kiffin details what Ole Miss’ success has done for recruiting

Ole Miss has found plenty of recent success under Lane Kiffin. That success, as Kiffin explained, has been huge for recruiting.

“I think you guys know I’m pretty realistic when I’m up here. NIL and collectives are important in all of this. But also, other things are a factor too and I think that our winning — third most SEC wins since we’ve gotten here — shows kids a lot, that you can come here and win,” Kiffin said.

“So, I definitely know that helps. Now, going into schools, living rooms, or college campuses for players — I think there is a different feeling when we walk in as Ole Miss than when we walked in.”