Southern Miss turns to familiar face to lead football program after Huff’s exit
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Southern Miss promoted Blake Anderson from interim OC to full-time head coach.
- Anderson returns to USM after prior assistant stint and 10 years as FBS head.
- Team improved six wins and leads Sun Belt in passing, offense up 120.7 YPG.
Southern Miss announced the promotion of offensive coordinator and interim head coach Blake Anderson as the school’s newest full-time head coach on Thursday.
Anderson was previously handed the interim position for USM’s upcoming New Orleans Bowl appearance following the departure of Charles Huff to Memphis after one 7-5 season.
“(Anderson) brings a wealth of experience and a ten-year run as a successful head coach, including multiple conference championships in the Sun Belt, a Mountain West conference championship, and nine bowl appearances,” USM athletic director Jeremy McClain said. “Blake is an exceptional leader, a great communicator, and has the respect of the players and the staff throughout the Duff Center. We look forward to supporting him at the highest level and continuing the positive momentum for our program.”
Anderson is in his second stint at the school. He served as an assistant from 2008-2011 before returning as Huff’s offensive coordinator for the 2025 season. The Golden Eagles have seen a one-year improvement of six wins from 2024’s 1-11 season.
Southern Miss currently leads the Sun Belt in passing offense and improved its total offense from 283.5 yards per game to 404.2 YPG.
Anderson brings 10 years of head coaching experience at the FBS level, including seven seasons at SBC West school Arkansas State from 2014 through 2020. He coached to a 51-37 overall record in Jonesboro, including 38-18 in conference play.
The Red Wolves won two conference championships and appeared in six bowl games during that time.
Anderson spent the three seasons between Arkansas St. and USM as the Utah State head coach. The 56-year-old began that tenure with an 11-3 campaign that featured a top-25 ranking and a Mountain West title.
Each of his final two seasons ended at 6-7, but he was fired in July 2024 amidst an internal investigation regarding compliance with university policies on reporting sexual misconduct.
Anderson previous stop at USM was a four-year stint under Larry Fedora where he served as offensive coordinator the final two. The Golden Eagles won a school-record 12 games in 2011, then Anderson would follow Fedora to North Carolina to man the same position.
Southern Miss will be under the guidance of its 24th head coach when it faces Western Kentucky in New Orleans on Dec. 23.
