Enthusiasm surrounded Southern Miss when head coach Will Hall led the Golden Eagles to a bowl game in their first season in the Sun Belt.
But things haven’t gone as smoothly for Southern Miss since then. The Golden Eagles went 3-9 in 2023 and have begun this season 1-6 with their only victory being against FCS Southeastern Louisiana.
That led many to wonder how much longer Hall would stick around before the program goes in another direction. After USM’s loss to Arkansas State, the team decided to fire Hall.
That means Southern Miss will need a new head coach in 2025. Here are some names the program could consider.
Kansas State Assistant Head Coach Van Malone
Malone hasn’t been a head coach at the collegiate level yet, but he has a good amount of experience as a coordinator and positions coach at several FBS programs, including in the state of Mississippi.
Malone, who is also a defensive passing game coordinator and a cornerbacks coach, has been at Kansas State since 2019. Last year, the Wildcats were 18th in passing efficiency defense (118.63) and were 10th in the country with 16 interceptions the season before. Several K-State defensive backs have earned All-Big 12 accolades during Malone’s tenure.
Previously, Malone was a defensive quality control coach at Mississippi State (2018) and a defensive coordinator at SMU (2015-17). He also worked with defensive backs at Oklahoma State (2012-14), Tulsa (2010-11), Texas A&M (2006-09), North Texas (2005), and Western Michigan (2004). He was a wide receivers coach at North Dakota State in 2003, so he has worked with both sides of the ball. He also coached special teams at Western Michigan and North Texas.
Malone has the experience needed to be a great candidate.
Jacksonville Jaguars Running Backs Coach Jerry Mack
Mack has experience as a head coach and a coordinator. He’s recruited in the area and has familiarity with the Sun Belt, so he would be a good fit here.
Before going to the Jaguars, Mack was Tennessee’s running backs coach from 2021-23. Last year, the Volunteers were 10th in the country with 204.8 rushing yards per game. Leading rusher Jaylen Wright was among the 45 running backs in the country to rush for at least 1,000 yards.
Previously, he was an associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Rice. He’s also been a head coach at North Carolina Central, a wide receivers coach at South Alabama and Memphis, an OC and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Central Arkansas, and a wide receivers/tight ends coach at Jackson State.
With a resume like his, Mack would deserve to be a head coaching candidate for the Golden Eagles.
SMU Offensive Coordinator Casey Woods
Woods is a successful coordinator at a current Power Four school who has coaching experience in the Sun Belt.
The Mustangs were eighth in the FBS in scored points per game (38.7) and 16th in yards per game (454.9) in 2023, their last year in the AAC. SMU, which is now 7-1 as a member of the ACC, is 15th in the nation with 39.1 points per game scored after Week 9 of this season.
Previously, Woods was a tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Missouri. He’s also been an assistant at UAB and Auburn.
Woods coached wide receivers and was a recruiting coordinator at Arkansas State in 2012 when the Red Wolves went 10-3, earned a Sun Belt title, and won the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
If Woods were interested in a head coaching job, Southern Miss would be smart to consider him.
Indiana Defensive Coordinator Bryant Haines
Haines followed Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana, and he has been stellar as the Hoosiers’ DC thus far.
Going into Week 10, Indiana is in the top 10 in the FBS in terms of scoring defense (14.12 points allowed per game) and total defense (269.5 yards per game allowed).
Before his current job, he was instrumental in JMU’s transition to the Sun Belt. He was promoted to DC and linebackers coach after three years as a co-defensive coordinator there.
In just their first season as an FBS program, the Dukes allowed the eighth-fewest yards per game in the country with 290.2 while allowing just 20.9 points per game. They were also top 10 in rushing defense, tackles for loss per game, first downs allowed, sacks per game, third down defense, and fumble recoveries.
In 2023, JMU was in the top 20 in the FBS with 19.5 points per game allowed and the top 30 in the country with 333.8 yards per game allowed.
Before JMU, Haines worked with linebackers under Cignetti at Elon and was a linebackers coach at UC Davis before that in 2016.
Haines knows defense and the conference, so he could be a good fit for Southern Miss.
UNLV Offensive Coordinator Brennan Marion
Marion is in just his second season as UNLV’s offensive coordinator. He’s done well with the Rebels and has other coaching experience in the eastern part of the country.
In 2023, UNLV was 44th in the FBS with 412.7 yards per game and 22nd with 34.4 points per game. The Rebels have continued to be successful on offense this season, even after quarterback Matthew Sluka decided to sit out the rest of the year.
Before this, Marion was a passing game coordinator at Texas in 2022, a wide receivers coach at Pitt in 2021, a wide receivers coach at Hawaii in 2020, an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at William & Mary in 2019, an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Howard in 2017 and 2018, and a running backs coach at Oklahoma Baptist in 2016.
Marion’s name has been tied to a few head coaching vacancies the past couple years. The expertise he brings could benefit Southern Miss.
Alabama Tight Ends Coach Bryan Ellis
Ellis has only been at Alabama for less than a year. But if he were willing to leave for an FBS head coaching opportunity, Southern Miss might make sense.
Last season, when Ellis was an offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern, the Eagles were in the top 50 in the country with 30.2 points and 419.5 yards per game. And that was a down year compared to the other teams he’s worked with.
In 2022, which was Ellis’ first as Georgia Southern’s OC and QBs coach, the Eagles were in the top 20 in the FBS with 466.7 yards per game and scored 32.7 points per game.
Before that, Ellis was Western Kentucky’s co-offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach. In 2021, the Hilltoppers were second in the country with 44.2 points per game and 535.3 yards per game while leading the FBS with 433.7 passing yards per game.
He was WKU’s OC and quarterbacks coach from 2019-20 and was an assistant there from 2014-16. From 2017-18, he worked with quarterbacks at USC.
Ellis obviously knows the Sun Belt well and how to develop high-flying offenses, so he would be a good candidate for Southern Miss.
