The Southern Miss coaching staff is beginning to round out after Will Hall decided to bring in a new slate of assistants this offseason.
Following the recent hirings of former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long and Eastern Illinois defensive coordinator Clay Bignell, Hall announced two new assistant coaches on Wednesday.
Micheal Spurlock, a name familiar to Ole Miss fans, comes to Hattiesburg after one season coaching wide receivers at Western Kentucky. Spurlock, who will oversee the running backs at Southern Miss, has coached at the high school, collegiate, and NFL levels following his nine-year run in the pros.
“We are excited to have Micheal joining our program,” Hall said. “He brings NFL experience as a player and a coach. His reputation as a man of character was obvious throughout this process. Everywhere Micheal has been, they have raved about his energy and attitude.”
After playing quarterback at Ole Miss from 2003-05, Spurlock began his career as a journeyman across the NFL. He played for eight teams (Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bears) from 2006-14 mostly as a wide receiver and return specialist.
Spurlock then began his coaching career at Philadelphia High School in Mississippi before joining the college ranks at Coahoma Community College as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator. Other stops have included the University of Texas San Antonio, Southeastern Louisiana, Ole Miss, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Green Bay Packers.
Hall also announced the addition of Fred Wyatt as the team’s defensive line coach. Wyatt worked closely with Bignell while at Eastern Illinois, serving in the same position for the FCS program. In his one season at EIU, the Panthers’ defensive line ranked No. 30 nationally in rushing defense and No. 32 in red zone defense.
“Fred brings a wealth of defensive line knowledge to our program,” Hall said. “He is a rising star in this profession, and I cannot wait to get him with our guys.”
Prior to his time at EIU, Wyatt coached the defensive line at Division II Missouri Western from 2021-22 after serving as an assistant under his father, Buddy Wyatt, at Kansas State. Fred played at Northwestern from 2014-18.
