Ole Miss, Pete Golding focused on CFP after Lane Kiffin's departure - ESPN

When No. 6 Ole Miss takes the field Saturday against No. 11 Tulane in a College Football Playoff first-round game, the Rebels will be led by first-time head coach Pete Golding, whose only activity on X since January 2023 has been dropping a shark emoji every so often.

At least the 41-year-old former defensive coordinator is predictable.

That wasn't always the case with Lane Kiffin, the former Ole Miss coach who abruptly left the Rebels at the end of the regular season to take over SEC rival LSU. Kiffin seems to spend as much time on social media as he does residing in opposing defensive coordinators' heads because of his unpredictable playcalling.

That isn't the only difference between the former colleagues turned rivals.

«I'm not changing who I am,» Golding said during his first session with reporters after being named Kiffin's replacement. «I ain't changing what the hell I wear. I'm [not] going to yoga… I ain't doing any of that s---. I am who I am.»

The once-shaggy-haired Golding did get a haircut after replacing Kiffin and has been more polished in news conferences, according to local reporters. But he's still sporting a beard and visor and sometimes has tobacco in his lip. The former Delta State safety remains as competitive as ever as well.

«You don't know me well, but I don't care if I'm coaching football or playing my wife in tennis,» Golding said. «Like, I'm trying to whip your ass, all right?»

In the 19 days since taking over the Rebels, Golding has worked hard to convince his players that the postseason isn't about him — or Kiffin. That didn't always seem to be the case under Kiffin, especially not while he was not-so-quietly being courted simultaneously by Florida and LSU for weeks.

«I think this group is