Memphis hires Huff as coach after 1 season at Southern Miss

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Memphis has hired Charles Huff as football coach after his one season at Southern Miss.

Athletic director Ed Scott announced the hiring Monday with Huff replacing Ryan Silverfield, who left for Arkansas on Nov. 30.

“Early in our search process, Coach Huff quickly rose to the top of our list as a dynamic leader with a proven track record of building strong, competitive programs," Scott said. “He brings a championship mindset, tremendous drive, and more than 20 years of experience working alongside some of the top coaches in college football.”

Huff went 7-5 with Southern Miss this season after taking over a program that went 1-11 in 2024. That was the program's best regular-season record since 2019. The six-win turnaround was one of the biggest improvements in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.

He takes over a program in Memphis that was ranked as high as No. 22 this season before three straight losses for an 8-4 finish. The Tigers are playing North Carolina State in the Gasparilla Bowl on Dec. 19 in Tampa. Interim coach Reggie Howard will oversee the Tigers in the bowl game.

“The level of consistency the football program has had over the recent years is incredible,” Huff said of Memphis, thanking university officials with trusting him to lead the program. "To the city of Memphis and Tiger Nation, it’s time to STAND UP! To the players and administration, it’s go time!”

Southern Miss named Blake Anderson as interim coach for the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 23 against Western Kentucky.

Huff went 32-30 at Marshall between 2021 and 2024, capped by a win in the 2024 Sun Belt Conference championship game. Huff coached Marshall to a bowl in each of his four seasons, and he notched wins over then-No. 8 Notre Dame in 2022 and Virginia Tech in 2023.

He worked for Nick Saban at Alabama in 2019 and 2020 as associate head coach and running backs coach working with Najee Harris. He was at Mississippi State in 2018 and coached Saquon Barkley during the coach's stint at Penn State between 2014 and 2017.

Huff was at Western Michigan in 2013, the NFL's Buffalo Bills in 2012, Vanderbilt with coach James Franklin in 2011, his alma mater Hampton in 2010, Maryland in 2009 and started his career at Tennessee State in 2006.

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