Memphis focused on Southern Miss' Charles Huff, working to finalize deal

Memphis has focused on Southern Miss’ Charles Huff as its next head coach, sources tell On3’s Chris Low, Pete Nakos and Brett McMurphy. The two parties are working to finalize a deal. Huff went 7-5 in his first year with the Golden Eagles, a season after the program went 1-11.

The former Marshall head coach and Alabama assistant is 39–25 as an FBS head coach. Huff is set to succeed Ryan Silverfield, who accepted the Arkansas job on Sunday. Silverfield was 50–24 in six seasons at Memphis, succeeding Ryan Silverfield.

Huff has emerged as a proven winner in the Sun Belt. Marshall won the Sun Belt conference title last year with Huff. He stepped in this year at Southern Miss, bringing a large piece of his Marshall roster with him, and won immediately.

A year ago, the Golden Eagles did not win a game in conference play. The former Marshall head coach led the program to high-profile wins over Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. Huff is a 42-year-old former Alabama and Penn State assistant. He also has ties in Tennessee, having broken into coaching at Tennessee State and spent a year on James Franklin’s staff at Vanderbilt.

Memphis has consistently been one of the top programs in the American Conference. FedEx committed $25 million over five years in NIL back in 2024. The last time the Tigers finished a season with a losing record was in 2013.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.