A day after leading Marshall to a 31-3 victory in the Sun Belt Championship, Charles Huff has been named the next head football coach at the University of Southern Mississippi.
“As we started this search, we were focused on finding a dynamic leader who could get our program back to competing for championships,” said USM Athletic Director Jeremy McClain. “Charles Huff has proven that he is a winner who can build a championship culture within the Sun Belt. We look forward to supporting him in our journey To The Top! We are thrilled to welcome Coach Huff, Jessica, and their family to Southern Miss.”
Huff, who spent the last four seasons as head coach at Marshall, compiled a 32-20 record with the Thundering Herd. He will replace Will Hall, who was fired on Oct. 20 during his fourth season. The Golden Eagles finished the 2024 season with a 1-11 record under interim head coach Reed Stringer.
“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. “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. 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.”
A native of Denton, Maryland, Huff brings extensive coaching experience, having worked at Tennessee State, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Western Michigan, Penn State, and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Before his time at Marshall, he served as an assistant coach at Alabama, where he coached running back Najee Harris to All-America honors in 2020.
During his tenure at Marshall, Huff led the Herd to two bowl appearances and two winning seasons, including a 2022 campaign that featured a road win over then-No. 8 Notre Dame. He began his coaching career in 2005 after graduating from Hampton University, where he was a team captain and played multiple positions on the offensive line.
Huff becomes the 23rd head coach in Southern Miss history and the first African American to hold the position. His hiring also makes him the first head coach in Sun Belt Conference history to move directly from one Sun Belt program to another.
Huff’s Marshall team finished the 2024 season with a 10-3 record, including a 7-1 mark in conference play. Despite being in the final year of his contract at Marshall, Huff and the university were unable to agree on an extension.
At Southern Miss, Huff will take over a program that has struggled in recent years. The Golden Eagles endured their first winless season in FBS play since 2012. Hall, the former head coach, was fired after a 44-28 homecoming loss to Arkansas State on Oct. 19.
Before becoming a head coach, Huff worked alongside coaching legends such as Nick Saban at Alabama, where he served as associate head coach and running backs coach from 2019 to 2020, and James Franklin at both Vanderbilt and Penn State.
Huff and his wife, Jessica, have three boys: B.J., Beau and Blaze.
