After nearly two months of searching, Southern Miss finally introduced Charles Huff as its new football coach.
Unlike previous hiring introductions, Huff's first public appearance was significantly different as a crowd at the Eagle Walk welcomed him on Thursday afternoon.
"Welcome to Huffburg, Mississippi," Southern Miss president Dr. Joe Paul in his opening remarks.
Huff was hired on Sunday, a day after winning the Sun Belt title at Marshall. It's the first time in Southern Miss' history that the program hired a sitting head coach.
"People will stop scheduling Southern Miss," Huff told the crowd. "This is going to be toughest transition that anyone in this university has ever been through.
"But I guarantee you that it will be the most rewarding, gratifying moment we all have ever been a part of when we hoist that trophy in the Rock."
WHY SOUTHERN MISS?
The reasoning for Huff's departure from Marshall to Southern Miss had been a major topic once his hiring became apparent.
Huff is the first coach in the history of the Sun Belt to leave for a league foe, but in an even more surprising move, leave a championship team for a Golden Eagle squad that finished with the worst record in the conference.
"A lot of people have asked me that question, and the question I ask is, why not Southern Miss?" Huff said. "In today's college football, I'm not playing with a 1-11 team. I'm playing with the team that I recruit.
"Alignment at the top with the right people, history, and tradition of winning and success, and then you can fill your team with quality football players in your radius. I think those are the things that help you make decisions about where and when."
Huff, who went 32-20 leading the Thundering Herd and most recently won the Sun Belt championship, addressed some of the speculation as to why Huff opted to leave Marshall and why the two sides could not agree on a contract extension.
"There was a process put in place by the administration," Huff said. "They went through that process thoroughly. At the end of it, they felt that another direction was the right decision. That decision was made probably before we won the championship if that makes sense. It was a mutual decision.
"There was some opportunities at some other places that presented themselves. Out of respect for my family and because we were in a contract situation, some of those had to be vetted and searched. It was a decision that I think was made before we were champions. The actual parting was mutual."
CONTRACT DETAILS
Huff's will be paid $950,000 for the next four years annually.
Previous head coach Will Hall was paid $824,000, while Huff previously made $755,000 at Marshall.
Huff's salary is tied for the third-highest in the Sun Belt Conference.
Mississippi State law prohibits contracts longer than four years but does allow for an automatic one-year extension. Huff will receive that extension on Dec. 7, 2025, with a contract expiration date of Dec. 8, 2029.
The assistant coach's salary will be $1.75 million, and the support staff's salary will be $600,000
PLAN OF ACTION
Huff will now have to juggle assembling a staff and rebuilding a roster during bowl season.
Huff has already hired Reed Grable as the team's general manager and pro liaison. However, he hopes to recruit more incoming coaches who are currently coaching in the postseason.
"Some of the coaches that we are recruiting are in ball games," Huff said. "We will be concentrating on getting the staff in here as quickly as possible and trying to get as many players as quickly as possible.
"You have to make sure you are balancing acquiring your staff and off-the-field personnel. We are trying to make sure that you don't miss."
As for the roster, Huff stated that during the first transfer portal window, he plans to assess the current Southern Miss roster in place as he affirmed there was plenty of talent.
"There are not a bad team, and that's what I told them in the first team meeting," Huff said. "There was some people on film that we didn't want to play. You don't go 1-11 because you have a bad team. When you don't have success, it typically has to do with culture and discipline. Not that it was a bad culture or had poor discipline but everything matters.
"This first year, we are probably going to be a lot heavier in the portal because we need an immediate flip. This first year I don't think it fair to throw a number. It may be 105. It may be 25 or 45. It's going to determine who in that locker room decides to stay. What value do they bring on and off the field? What consistency do they bring on and off the field? How much competition and depth do we need in this portal window? It'll be less aggressive early because I want to truly evaluate the guys on the team. The second window we will fill immediate needs."
Huff did add that he is planning to hold a major recruiting weekend next week.
"There will be a recruiting weekend next weekend here like you have never seen," Huff said. "There's going to be fireworks, helicopters, hot air balloons. There's going to be everything.
"Not because all of that stuff matters but because those kids are that important to what we are trying to build."
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN COACH AT USM
Huff is the first-ever African-American head coach in the 112-year history of Southern Miss' football program.
"I carry that honor with me a lot," Huff said.
"At the end of the day, I still have to win games, or I'll be the first African-American head coach fired from Southern Miss. I do take a lot of pride and humility in the fact that I'm able to represent a minority. I take pride and humility that Jeremy (McClain) and Dr. Paul saw past my skin color and saw my credentials and my ability. I hope that there is more leaders that follow that trend. They didn't make a decision because of my skin color. They made a decision because I was the right fit. I had the right credentials, and I had the right makeup for what they were looking for, and hopefully, more and more leaders at the high education level will start evaluating beyond the lens of the eye."
Huff also added that at an early age, his initial drive to coach was so that he could one day become the first African-American coach to win a national championship.
"I made a decision when I was five years old that I would become the first African-American coach to win a national championship. It's going to happen. When? I don't know, but if I keep surrounding myself with good people like Jeremy, Dr. Paul, and the donors and keep presenting myself with opportunities to take over great programs, then it will happen."
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