49 days after Will Hall was terminated โ and seven days after it was first reported that Southern Miss had their man โ now-former Marshall head coach Charles Huff has been officially tabbed as the next leader of the Golden Eagles.ย
The hire is a stunning one in several respects, chiefly that the announcement comes less than a day after Huff led the Thundering Herd to their first Sun Belt Conference title in a 31-3 win over Louisiana. Now, the 2024 Sun Belt Coach of the Year is moving on to pilot a program coming off a 1-11 campaign and dead-last league finish.ย
After four seasons in Huntington, W. Va., Huff carries a 32-20 head coaching record to Hattiesburg. Southern Miss made the announcement via a video on social media Sunday:
A New Era. ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐.@CoachHuff | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/QQG8HT3QrM
โ Southern Miss Football (@SouthernMissFB) December 8, 2024
Since a 12-2 season in 2011, after which Southern Miss finished No. 20 in the AP Poll, Southern Miss faithful have watched their team slog through the next 13 years. In that stretch, the program compiled a 58-101 record and recorded seven seasons of three or fewer victories. But swiping the conference championship-winning head coach from a league opponent indicates a changing wind for the once-proud program. ย
“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. 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 said in a press release. “I have to thank Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul, along with Athletics Director Jeremy McClain, in showing their faith in me and this staff with this tremendous opportunity and I can’t wait to hit the ground running in making this program something that we can all be proud of.”
Charles Huff will be formally introduced as the Southern Miss head coach in a press conference this week.