UPDATE (2:15 p.m.): Charles Huff has been named the 23rd head football coach at Southern Miss some 14 hours after coaching the Herd to a Sun Belt Championship.
Marshall Director of Athletics Christian Spears released a statement Sunday not long before the Herd officially named Tony Gibson the new head coach and Huff’s replacement.
“First off, what an outstanding team effort on Saturday as we captured our first-ever Sun Belt Conference championship against Louisiana! This team is just so incredibly resilient,” Spears said. “I’m extremely proud of how they represent Marshall University.
“Now that it has been released, Coach Huff’s decision to take the position at Southern Miss was not unexpected. We are grateful that Coach Huff and his representatives have been transparent throughout his interview processes. We are happy for him and his family and sincerely appreciate all he did to augment our football foundation to a championship level at Marshall.”
A New Era. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗨𝗙𝗙 𝗘𝗥𝗔.@CoachHuff | #SMTTT pic.twitter.com/QQG8HT3QrM
— Southern Miss Football (@SouthernMissFB) December 8, 2024
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Marshall head coach Charles Huff helped lead the Thundering Herd to a 10-win season and a Sun Belt Conference Championship with Saturday night’s 31-3 victory at Louisiana.
One day later, Huff is leaving Marshall for another Sun Belt member in Southern Mississippi.
Multiple national reports say Huff will be named the next head coach of the Golden Eagles, with an announcement to come as early as Sunday.
Southern Miss and Marshall coach Charles Huff, barring a last-minute change, are expected to finalize a deal Sunday to make him the new head coach, sources tell @YahooSports.
Marshall, which has not offer Huff an extension, activated its coaching search earlier this week.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 8, 2024
Marshall’s Charles Huff will be coach at Southern Miss, source told @ActionNetworkHQ. Huff was 32-20 at Marshall w/4 consecutive bowl trips & Thundering Herd won Sun Belt title Saturday
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 8, 2024
Huff was in the final year of a four-year contract at Marshall, one that expires January 31, 2025. Alhough he indicated publicly a desire to stay in Huntington, it is not believed a contract extension was offered to a coach who compiled a 32-20 record with the Herd.
Speculation of a match between Huff and Southern Miss came to light a couple weeks back, but Marshall worked beyond those distractions to secure a spot in the Sun Belt title game by overcoming a 17-0 halftime deficit in a 35-33 double overtime win at James Madison on November 30.
The Herd then handled business late Saturday, using a dominant defensive effort to defeat the Ragin’ Cajuns, 31-3.
Afterward, several players and staff members took to social media to express their support of Huff.
Coach Huff is a damn good football coach period.
— Logan Osburn (@loganosburn4) December 8, 2024
Thanks to the herd community! Regarless what the future may bring, WE are all forever greatful for the opportunity Marshall has provided us. Last year I made a decision to stay at Marshall to win a championship.. WE did!!! I’ll forever breath, eat, and bleed herd baby 💚🤍🖤 💍 pic.twitter.com/0PeprSYzF3
— michael green (@Mikegreen42021) December 8, 2024
This the best coach I ever played for💯 https://t.co/6fL1xdT8qV
— Braylon Braxton (@braylon_braxton) December 8, 2024
I wouldn’t want to play for any other Head Coach @CoachHuff Is the 🐐🐐 I appreciate you!
— Joshuah Moten (@thareal_2) December 8, 2024
Coach Huff is him…
— JJ Roberts (@LockdownJ_) December 8, 2024
EAT THIS CHAMPIONSHIP‼️ @CoachHuff you have been officially GOATED 🐐. Y’all Mad or Nah? Speak up I can’t hear you! pic.twitter.com/uTh6DDKYrA
— Sharrod Everett (@severett_DFO) December 8, 2024
Huff led MU to a bowl game each of his four seasons, including a win in the Myrtle Beach Bowl to wrap up a 9-4 season in 2022. That year was highlighted by one of the more notable victories in the history of the program — a 26-21 win at nationally-ranked Notre Dame in September.
The Herd finished 7-6 in Huff’s first season as head coach and 6-7 in his third. The 2023 campaign began with four straight wins, including one in Huntington against Virginia Tech. Marshall then dropped five straight before winning two of its final three to gain bowl eligibility.
Following the 2023 season, Seth Doege replaced Clint Trickett as Herd offensive coordinator. Marshall scored 52 points in an early-season win over Appalachian State and has scored at least 28 points in every contest during an ongoing seven-game win streak. The Herd’s lone Sun Belt setback this season came at Georgia Southern, a game Marshall lost 24-23 after leading by 20 points in the fourth quarter.
In Southern Miss, Huff would be taking over a program that has fallen on hard times and finished 1-11 this season, including 0-8 in the Sun Belt.
The Golden Eagles’ lone win came in September against Southeastern Louisiana of the FCS, and they lost to Marshall 37-3 one month ago.
Former Southern Miss head coach Will Hall was fired in October with the team at 1-6, and Reed Stringer took over as interim head coach the remainder of this season.
Like Huff’s tenure at Marshall, Hall’s at Southern Miss began with the 2021 season. He finished 14-30 over three-plus seasons, with the highlight a 7-6 mark in 2022 that culminated with a win over Rice in the Lendingtree Bowl.
Huff, 41, accepted the Marshall job when he was 37 after various coaching stops, including as associate head coach and running backs coach at Alabama for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Previously, Huff had also worked at Mississippi State, Penn State and Western Michigan, as well as one season with the Buffalo Bills in the decade before going to Marshall.
Tony Gibson is considered a front runner to be the next Herd head coach. Gibson has been at North Carolina State since 2019 and has been Wolfpack defensive coordinator each of the last five seasons.
A native of Van, Gibson had separate coaching stints at West Virginia, first serving as the Mountaineers’ defensive backs coach from 2001-07, and then holding various titles, including safeties coach, defensive coordinator/linebackers coach and associate head coach during his second stint, which spanned from 2013-18 under former WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen.
Gibson played college football at Glenville State from 1991-94 and got his coaching career started as head coach at Gilmer County High School in 1995.