The unprecedented hiring of 2024 Sun Belt champion head coach Charles Huff marked the end of a winding, nearly two-month search process for Southern Miss. His introduction on Thursday is what athletic director Jeremy McClain, university president Dr. Joe Paul, and Golden Eagle faithful hope is the beginning of a resurgence in Hattiesburg.
Huff’s first public appearance as the head coach of Southern Miss football was framed by an abundance of fanfare. A parted sea of black and gold welcomed the former Marshall head coach as he strolled to the stage under banners paying homage to former Golden Eagle legends like Reggie Collier, Jeff Bower, and Brett Favre.
The location was a purposeful, symbolic setting for a program that was once among the upper echelon of “mid-major” of schools that routinely took down giants like Alabama, LSU, and Nebraska. With Huff at the helm, those who put him there are optimistic that Southern Miss can reclaim that standing.
“It’s only fitting that we stand here on Eagle Walk as we introduce our next head coach. As we look at these banners above us, we’re reminded of the legendary players and coaches that have come before us,” McClain said, echoing Dr. Paul’s sentiment that Huff fits the profile of someone who not only understands the past, but exhibits the ambition and mettle it will take to return the program to success.
In four years as the head coach at Marshall, Huff compiled a 32-20 record, never won less than six games, and punctuated the tenure with a 10-win, championship campaign.
The Maryland native lands in south Mississippi with a lengthy track record of success, which includes time under James Franklin at Penn State, Nick Saban at Alabama, and being named the national recruiter of the year by 247 Sports in 2021. Huff also spent the 2018 season as the associate head coach at Mississippi State under Joe Moorhead.
“To the great state of Mississippi, it’s good to be back,” Huff said to the crowd of Golden Eagle faithful. “To the Hattiesburg and Southern Miss community, fans, alumni, donors, supporters, haters – all of the above – it’s time to get back to the top.”
Huff went on to detail his vision for success for Southern Miss, one of attitude, work ethic, and a competitive edge that will reinstate the national respect once commanded by Golden Eagle football that has been eroded by a 13-year comatose in which the program has gone 58-101.
“People will stop scheduling Southern Miss – period,” Huff remarked.
But, Huff says, it will be far from easy. He noted the new topography of college athletics that has made consistent success for programs like Southern Miss a steeper climb than ever. Commitment from top to bottom, alignment of approach, and focused action are non-negotiable to achieve revival.
“We put those three things together, we can get exactly where we want to be. It’s not going to be easy. This is going to be the toughest transition anyone connected to this university has ever been through,” Huff said. “It’s going to be hard… Our traditions are going to be challenged. The way we’ve always done things is going to be challenged. Not forget, not remove, but adjust.
“It’s going to be the hardest thing we’ve ever been a part of it, but I can guarantee you it will be the most rewarding, most gratifying moment we’ve ever been a part of when we hoist that trophy in the Rock.”
Huff inked a 5-year, $4.75 million contract (which includes an automatic rollover after the fourth year) to lead the Golden Eagles – a $950,000 yearly salary. He’ll also have $1.75 million to spend on building a staff of 10 assistant coaches and $600,000 for support staff. According to USA Today, the deal makes Huff the fourth-highest paid head coach in the Sun Belt.
Huff, McClain, and Dr. Paul all took advantage of the celebratory introduction to emphasize a need for the fanbase to join in on the investment – be it through the program’s independent NIL fundraising arm, To The Top Collective, the Eagle Club scholarship fund, or simply buying season tickets.
An additional facet of the challenge for Huff is reinvigorating a fan base that has spent the better part of 15 years in the doldrums of college football. In his first address to those supporters, he made a confident promise.
“I didn’t come here to play,” Huff concluded. “I came here to win. And we will win.”
Southern Miss will open the 2025 season against in-state foe Mississippi State on August 30 at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
