Entering the 2024 season, Southern Mississippi Head Coach Will Hall was on the hot seat, the equivalent of the naughty list for head coaches after a poor 2023 season that resulted in a putrid 3-9 record. 2024 hasn’t been any better for the Hattiesburg faithful. The Golden Eagles (as of the time of this writing) are off to a lackluster 1-3 start, with the latest game resulting in a 44-7 beatdown from Jacksonville State.
If the season continues to tumble, Southern Mississippi will have to hit the reset button and search for a new sideline leader. In this article, I will go over some head coach candidates that would make a great Christmas gift for Golden Eagles fans.
Bill Clark-Former UAB Head Coach
UAB knows something about getting an extra special Christmas gift when they hired Bill Clark back in 2014. After a 6-6 season in 2014, UAB shockingly shut down their entire football program to many Blazers fans dismay. Instead of leaving, Bill Clark and many others contributed donations to resurrect the dead football team.
The Christmas Wish of bringing football back to Alabama’s Capital became a reality 2 years later and returned better than ever before. After 1 bowl game in the previous 15 seasons, Bill Clark’s new and rejuvenated Blazers would compile a 43-20 record, 2 CUSA Championships and win 2 bowl games.
Bill Clark’s tenure in Birmingham would be cut short after 2022, having to step away after dealing with numerous back problems. However, the 56 year old Birmingham legend hasn’t ruled out a return to coaching, as recently on the Yellowhammer News, he stated he’d like to be a head coach again if the right opportunity arises.
Southern Mississippi used to be one of UAB’s main rivals back when both were in CUSA, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Bill Clark pulled off one of the greatest rebuilds in college football history and can surely help elevate Southern Mississippi to heights they haven’t seen in a long time. His strong defensive mind and ability to put together a competent staff would be welcomed in Hattiesburg.
Willie Simmons-Duke Running Backs Coach
Willie Simmons has been a strong riser in the college football coaching ranks and could be in high demand very soon. Much like the aforementioned Bill Clark, Willie Simmons is a strong culture builder that knows how to get the most out of his roster.
Before taking the gig as Duke’s Running Backs Coach, Willie Simmons was the head coach at Florida A&M, where he turned the program from chumps to champs. In 5 seasons as the leader of the Rattlers, Willie Simmons compiled a very impressive 45-13 record, winning the SWAC in 2023 and winning the Celebration Bowl.
The Golden Eagles need a head coach that can layout a successful foundation and build on it, and the 43 year old riser would be an excellent choice to take on this difficult challenge.
Scott Frost-Los Angeles Rams Senior Football Analyst
Now here’s a name college football fans probably forgot about. Once seen as a college football coaching prodigy after his legendary 13-0 season at UCF in 2017, Scott Frost fell off the face of the earth after a disappointing 16-31 stint at his alma mater, Nebraska.
A rebound is definitely possible and Southern Mississippi could be a solid fit for the 49 year old. Scott Frost took over a UCF Knights program that hit rock bottom in 2015, after finishing the season without a single win. In just 2 years, Scott Frost transformed UCF from rock bottom to the mountain top, going 19-7 in 2 seasons as the Knights Head Coach with the aforementioned 13-0 season and New Year’s Six Bowl victory over Auburn.
Southern Mississippi would likely be Scott’s hardest challenge in his head coaching career, but he’s no stranger to turning chumps into champs and USM would definitely welcome that track record.
Brennan Marion-UNLV Offensive Coordinator
Brennan Marion has quickly become a hot commodity in the college football coaching world and Southern Mississippi could be an excellent place to start his head coaching career. Contrary to the other choices on this list, Brennan Marion doesn’t have any collegiate head coaching experience, but he makes up for it with his impressive resume as a play caller and wide receiver guru.
During his 3 stints at Howard, William & Mary and now UNLV, Brennan Marion’s unique “Go-Go” offense has produced multiple results in the top 25. He’s also an excellent developer when it comes to the Wide Receiver position. Notable players that Brennan Marion developed are Biletnikoff Award Winner Jordan Addison and current UNLV Star Wideout Ricky White.
At only 37 years old, the Virginia native is one of the youngest head coaching candidates on the market. While Brennan has no collegiate experience running a full scale operation, his creative play calling, and strong development at the Wide Receiver position makes him a very intriguing head coaching prospect and could be a great Christmas gift for the Golden Eagles fanbase.
Casey Woods-SMU Offensive Coordinator
Casey Woods hasn’t been an Offensive Coordinator for very long, but his small sample size has been quite impressive. The Mustangs ranked 8th nationally in total offense last year and have picked up steam lately after an up and down start to the 2024 season.
The 41 year old Starkville native grew up 183 miles away from Hattiesburg and likely has a good grasp of the area and where to recruit. His strong connections to many coaches including Guz Malzhan, Bill Clark, Eli Drinkwitz and currently Rhett Lashlee will definitely grab some eyeballs.
Much like the aforementioned Brennan Marion, Casey Woods has no head coaching experience at the college level, but his strong play calling and above average recruiting make him an enticing Christmas Gift Southern Mississippi can surprise their fans with.
It just takes one special Christmas Gift to change a program’s fortunes and the 5 candidates I have listed above could be a wonderful gift for Golden Eagles football.
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