Charles Huff leaving for Memphis following one season in Hattiesburg, reports say
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- Charles Huff departs Southern Miss for Memphis after one season, reports say
- Huff engineered a six-win turnaround at USM but closed with three straight losses
- USM begins third head-coach search in three years; Blake Anderson listed as candidate
Southern Miss will be on the market for its third coach in as many years.
Charles Huff is leaving his post as the Golden Eagles’ head football coach for the same position at Memphis, following one season in Hattiesburg, according to multiple reports.
Huff was hired Dec. 8 of last year and produced a 7-5 season from a program that was 1-11 in 2024 under previous head coach Will Hall. Huff will be replacing Ryan Silverfield, who left Memphis for Arkansas in late November.
The six-win single-season turnaround is among the best in Sun Belt history, though it did come with a disappointing finish. The Golden Eagles were 7-2 and sole leaders of the West Division before three consecutive losses forced USM into a second-place finish.
Southern Miss’ NIL collective membership doubled in Huff’s brief tenure, as did its funding level.
This will be Huff’s third team in as many years after his four-year tenure at Marshall came to an end last December. The Thundering Herd won the SBC title game the day before his hiring at USM.
It’s the second straight year Huff has taken a new job within five days of Early Signing Day. The Golden Eagles signed nine players Wednesday.
Huff leaves USM one year into a four-year contract. The buyout for accepting another coaching position before Dec. 9 is $1M with half due within 30 days. Huff earned a base salary of $950,000 and collected $30,000 in bonuses for winning at least seven games.
Among the pool of potential candidates to replace Huff is current offensive coordinator Blake Anderson, who previously worked at USM from 2008-09 and served as head coach in the SBC for seven years at Arkansas State.
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 9:29 AM.
