OXFORD — Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding likes what he sees from his newest batch of transfer talent.
Golding is entering his second season as the Rebels’ defensive coordinator after spending the previous five years in the same position at Alabama under Nick Saban. Ole Miss jumped in scoring defense from 56th nationally in 2022 to a tie for 34th in 2023 under Golding. The Rebels surrendered 22.1 points per game last year, which was tied for fifth-best in the SEC and the program’s best mark since 2014.
Ole Miss already figured to be in a good spot for the 2024 season defensively with the returns of senior defensive linemen Jared Ivey and J.J. Pegues, senior linebacker Khari Coleman and senior nickelback John Saunders Jr., among others. The Rebels also brought in elite talent through the transfer portal, headlined by five-star Texas A&M transfer defensive tackle Walter Nolen, Florida edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, Arkansas linebacker Chris Paul Jr. and Alabama cornerback Trey Amos.
Due to its combination of returning production and impact transfers on both sides of the ball, Ole Miss is ranked No. 6 in the preseason Coaches Poll and is a popular pick for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Head coach Lane Kiffin told media on the first day of fall practice that, for the first time in his tenure as the Rebels’ head coach, Ole Miss looks “like a real team,” though he was quick to note that didn’t guarantee success.
Golding, who coached some of college football’s most elite defensive players with the Crimson Tide, agreed with the assessment of the Rebels’ improvement up front.
“From a length standpoint and power and not being able to get moved on a double-team, I think we’ve got a lot more of those guys,” Golding said. “ … I think we have eight or nine guys that you’re going to see up front that are going to rotate and have a role to play. And I think when you play really good teams — like Georgia — if you don’t have depth at that position, it’s going to be a long night. And so I think everybody’s done a really good job to give us some weapons and some tools in that room.”
The additions of Umanmielen and Nolen in particular have been lauded nearly universally. Umanmielen is ranked as the No. 18 player overall in the transfer portal while Nolen is ranked as the third-best. Umanmielen led the Gators with seven sacks last season while Nolen, who was the No. 2 player in the 2022 recruiting class, has six sacks and 11 tackles for loss in two collegiate seasons.
Golding described Umanmielen as “an elite pass rusher” and as someone with the athleticism and versatility to play in coverage. Nolen’s “initial get-off” from the line of scrimmage, Golding said, reminds him of former Alabama star defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. Williams was the third pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
Following last year’s 52-17 loss at Georgia, Kiffin told reporters the emphasis going forward needed to be on recruiting more athleticism and talent, particularly up front. The Rebels left Athens with more than that one lesson, according to Golding.
Not only did the talent pool need to be deeper, but the incoming players needed to have major college football experience. That way, Golding said, they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by stressful situations against elite competition.
“For them, I felt like that moment kind of got too big,” Golding said. “And I thought that was the big emphasis, of taking guys from the SEC, from programs that have been in big-time venues and stadiums and games, where they realize it’s just another game. I have to line up, I have to get my cleats to the turf and I have to do my job.”
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