Who is Patrick Toney? New Ole Miss football DC for coach Pete Golding

Ole Miss football has appointed Patrick Toney as its new defensive coordinator just before its Fiesta Bowl appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The hiring was announced on January 7. Toney previously served as the safeties coach for the Arizona Cardinals until head coach Jonathan Gannon was dismissed on January 5. Toney is set to take over a defense that ranked mid to lower tier in various SEC defensive categories.

He replaces Pete Golding, who was promoted to head coach following Lane Kiffin's departure to LSU on November 30. Golding successfully led Ole Miss through playoff victories against Tulane and Georgia but fell to Miami in the semifinals.

Toney's coaching career includes three years with the Arizona Cardinals and stints at multiple colleges. Notably, he served as defensive coordinator at Louisiana, winning two Sun Belt championships, and later as co-defensive coordinator at Florida. Toney has previous working relationships with Golding at Southeastern Louisiana and UTSA. At 35,