The coaching carousel is gearing up for a wild ride this winter, and one name starting to circulate is Charles Huff, head coach at Southern Miss.
The 42-year-old former Hampton football player has built an impressive résumé that checks plenty of boxes. With stops at several Power Conference programs — Vanderbilt, Alabama, Mississippi State, and Penn State — plus a stint in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.
Charles Huff Contract & Buyout
Term
- Four (4) year deal, with one (1) year automatic rollover
- Effective December 8, 2024 (“Effective Date”) and expiring December 8, 2028 (“Term”). The Term shall be automatically extended by one (1) year to December 8, 2029 unless either party gives written notice on or before December 7, 2025.
Annual Compensation
- YR1 (2025) – $950,000 (Effective Date – December 8, 2025) (annualized)
- YR2 (2026) – $950,000 (December 9, 2025 – December 8, 2026)
- YR3 (2027) – $950,000 (December 9, 2026 – December 8, 2027)
- YR4 (2028) – $950,000 (December 9, 2027 – December 8, 2028)
- YR5 (2029) – $950,000 (December 9, 2028 – December 8, 2029) if applicable
Guarantee (University Terminates Without Cause)
Such amount shall be payable to Coach in equal monthly installments over the otherwise unexpired Term.
- 100% of total remaining Annual Compensation due through the otherwise unexpired Term
- Coach shall have an obligation to seek other football coaching-related employment, and the University shall have a right to offset the amount due to Coach on a dollar-for-dollar basis by any future compensation earned by Coach during the otherwise unexpired Term.
Buyout (Coach Terminates Without Cause)
Half of such amount shall be payable to the University within thirty (30) days from the date of termination, with the remaining half due one (1) year from the date of termination; only applicable for accepting football coaching-related employment.
- Termination on or before March 1, 2025 – $2,000,000
- Termination on or before December 8, 2025 – $1,000,000
- Termination on or before December 8, 2026 – $750,000
- Termination on or before December 8, 2027 – $500,000
- Termination on or before December 8, 2028 – $250,000
- Termination on or before the final regular season game of the 2029 season – $0
Coach Huff’s contract is solid for a mid-major at the FBS level. It’s not heavily incentivized or packed with salary escalators like some deals at his level — or even in the FCS — but it comes with a unique twist. His “new year” begins on December 8, about a week before bowl season kicks off. That timing means Huff will always be one step ahead in the buyout game should he pursue another job.
At Marshall, Huff replaced longtime head coach Doc Holliday and picked up where he left off. On September 10, 2022, he led the Thundering Herd to one of the biggest wins in program history, a 26–21 victory over No. 8 Notre Dame in South Bend. Later that year, he earned his first bowl win as a head coach with a 28–14 victory over UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. In 2024, Huff guided Marshall to its first Sun Belt crown and the school’s first conference championship in a decade.
Then came the drama.
Huff compiled a 32-20 record across four seasons at Marshall, including a 10-3 campaign in 2024 capped by a 31-3 rout of Louisiana in the Sun Belt title game. Despite the success, he and the university failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension, with his existing deal set to expire after the 2024 season. Just one day after hoisting the championship trophy, Huff left for Southern Miss — a conference rival that had just finished 1-11, the worst team in the Sun Belt.
The move set off a firestorm of controversy. Fans and observers questioned why a coach would leave a championship contender for a struggling program in the same league. Rumors of Huff’s interest in Southern Miss had circulated in late November, though he publicly denied any firm offers, insisting his focus was on Marshall. Others speculated about friction behind the scenes with Marshall’s leadership, suggesting both sides had been eyeing a split for weeks.
At his Southern Miss introductory press conference, Huff described the decision as mutual, noting it was likely made before the championship game.
The aftermath was chaotic. Within weeks, 36 Marshall players, including 29 scholarship athletes and starting quarterback Braylon Braxton, entered the transfer portal, forcing the program to withdraw from its Independence Bowl matchup against Army. The withdrawal reportedly cost the Sun Belt roughly $3 million in shared revenue. Marshall quickly hired NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson as Huff’s replacement, seeking to stabilize a shaken locker room. It’s also rumored that this debacle played a role in the departure of athletic director Christian Spears.
In Hattiesburg, Huff inherited a program in rebuild mode following the midseason firing of Will Hall, who had gone 20-35 over four seasons. Early returns, however, have been encouraging. Southern Miss has already surpassed its combined win total from 2023 and 2024 and currently sits in the upper tier of the Sun Belt standings. Perhaps most notably, Huff brought roughly 20 former Marshall players, many from that 2024 championship roster, with him to Southern Miss.
As the coaching carousel turns, keep an eye on Coach Huff, especially after December 8, as he could be in play for a few openings.
