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Southern Miss will begin the 2025 football season under new leadership as Charles Huff takes over as the program’s 23rd head coach.
Huff, who spent the last four seasons as head coach at Marshall, compiled a 32-20 record with the Thundering Herd. He replaces 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,” said Huff. “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.”
A native of Denton, Maryland, Huff began his coaching career in 2005 as a graduate assistant at Hampton. He has held coaching positions at Tennessee State, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Western Michigan, Penn State, and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Before taking over at Marshall, he served as an assistant 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 guided Marshall to a 10-3 record in 2024.
Huff is the first African American head football coach in Southern Miss history.
“Discipline and toughness are the two separators for our program,” Huff said. “If we control those two things we will be able to be successful long-term.”
Huff said he plans to emphasize culture and relationships within the program.
“It starts with relationships and understanding our commonalities, why we all are here, what our common goal is, and what non-negotiable are,” Huff said. “Then understanding what culture means, basically it is how we act, interact, and react.”
Senior defensive back Brendan Toles said the new staff has already established a positive team environment.
“The new environment on the team feels like a brotherhood,” Toles said. “We are a group of guys willing to put in the work to accomplish the goals that we want.”
Huff said the program will be defined by consistency and daily improvement.
“Excellence is being able to be the best version of ourselves each day, on and off the field,” Huff said.
The Golden Eagles will open the 2025 season with three consecutive home games. They host Mississippi State on Aug. 30, Jackson State on Sept. 6 and Appalachian State on Sept. 13.
“I’m excited!” Huff said. “We have a lot of work to do, but the kids and the staff are working hard to improve daily.”
Toles said the players have embraced the changes heading into the fall.
“I feel very confident going into this season,” Toles said. “Coach Huff and his staff are great coaches giving us the tools that we need to have a successful season this year.”
Huff said he is eager to begin his first year in Hattiesburg.
“I know what it takes to win this league,” Huff said at the Sun Belt Conference recent media days events. “That does not mean you click your fingers and all of a sudden you win this league. But as far as building and taking the right steps on a daily basis, we have the road map and it works.”