What Ole Miss football players are saying about Pete Golding and his new defensive scheme
OXFORD — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin said last week that he believes his offense is ahead of the defense as the Rebels continue rolling through spring practice.
Not exactly news, is it? That's been the status quo for Ole Miss since Kiffin's arrival ahead of the 2020 season. The Rebels have been in the top half of the SEC in points per game every season under Kiffin, and have yet to finish above eighth in the conference in scoring defense.
Kiffin made his most aggressive hire yet this offseason in an attempt to address that trend, bringing in Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding, who has spent the early portion of this spring period transitioning the Rebels into a new system.
Under co-defensive coordinators Chris Partridge and Maurice Crum Jr. last season, Ole Miss regularly lined up with three linemen and four linebackers. Expect the Rebels to set up with four linemen under Golding.
"It is a lot to learn," Ole Miss linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk said. "It's a big change from 3-4 to 4-2. We're slowly getting it and making progress day by day."
In seven years as a defensive coordinator between UTSA and Alabama, Golding's defenses have recorded a top-three finish within their conference every season.
During the 2022 season, his Crimson Tide surrendered 4.93 yards per play in SEC games, which was the best in the conference.
"Playing against him against Alabama was really tough," Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart said. "He's still kind of introducing everything to the guys. He's very, very detailed in every little thing, so I know that the guys – when we have our meals and things like that ‒ they'll talk about how they got a lot of install today and how they're just learning from him.
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"I think they're going to make some big jumps getting into the fall. I think that this spring will be a good learning experience for them, just getting the defense down. There's always a learning curve when you have a new coach. I think that (on) our defense, we've got a lot of good pieces."
According to safety Trey Washington, Golding likely will ask those pieces to excel in multiple roles. Washington emphasized versatility as one of Golding's key early talking points.
"I think we're adapting good," Washington said. "Everybody's focused on playing fast, playing physical and getting the scheme together so we can play together and execute at a high level."
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Pete Golding: Ole Miss football players' reaction to Rebels' new DC
