Coming off a 10-win season at Marshall and looking to restore Southern Miss to its winning ways, Charles Huff has a new defensive staff member, sources tell FootballScoop.
Eric Mathies, who's been the defensive line coach and run game coordinator in Walt Wells's Eastern Kentucky program, is set to join Huff's Southern Miss staff, multiple sources told FootballScoop on Thursday.
Mathies had spent the 2024 season at EKU, hired by Wells into his perennial FCS Playoff-contending program following Mathies's time at Long Island University in a co-defensive coordinator role.
But Mathies has deep FBS coaching experience, with stints at both SEC program Florida and North Texas, among other stops to include FAU and USF.
As a player, Mathies helped Murray State to a pair of conference titles and FCS Playoff spot in the mid-1990s.
Southern Miss turned to Huff after it fired WIll Hall and after Huff won 32 games in four years at Marshall, including the program's first-ever SunBelt Conference title to close out the 2024 season.