Southern Miss hiring Sun Belt Conference champion coach to lead program, school announces
Southern Miss has sent a shockwave through the Sun Belt.
The Golden Eagles are expected to hire current Marshall head coach Charles Huff for the same position, according to multiple reports and first reported by ESPN and Yahoo Sports.
The school made the official announcement Sunday.
The news comes less than 24 hours after Huff led the Thundering Herd to a Sun Belt Conference championship with a 31-3 win over Louisiana on Saturday.
“Charles Huff has proven that he is a winner who can build a championship culture within the Sun Belt,” USM athletic director Jeremy McClain said in the school’s press release. “We look forward to supporting him in our journey To The Top!”
Marshall is 32-20 under Huff in four seasons and have been bowl eligible each year. Huff is in the final year of his original contract and has not signed an extension from the school.
Huff is a Maryland native who served as associate head coach and running backs coach at Alabama under Nick Saban from 2019 to 2020. Huff also previously worked as an assistant under James Franklin at both Vanderbilt and Penn State.
The 41-year-old has a $755,000 base salary at Marshall, according to USAToday.com.
Southern Miss just wrapped up a 1-11 season, going winless against the FBS for the first time since 2012. Former head coach Will Hall was let go by the school following a 44-28 loss to Arkansas State on Oct. 19. Hall was 14-30 over 3 1/2 seasons.
““My family and I could not be any happier to begin our journey in Hattiesburg as we look to continue the rich and storied history of Southern Miss football,” Huff said in the release. “Our goal will be to build a program that can compete at the highest level and have our fan base enjoy the ability to return to bowl games on a consistent basis.”
Huff will become the 23rd football coach at USM and the first black coach in the school’s history. This is the first time in SBC history a head coach has left for the same post within the league.
Southern Miss and Marshall have shared a conference since 2005, and both left Conference USA for the SBC in 2022.
This story was originally published December 8, 2024 at 9:12 AM.
