After the firing of Will Hall in October, steam is beginning to pick up in what Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain said would be an efficient search for the program’s 23rd head football coach.
McClain noted in a press conference following the move to terminate Hall that the job opening had already drawn a flood of interest from candidates across the country. Despite a prevailing outside perspective that the position isn’t an attractive one, a litter of high-quality names have already arisen.
In a process kept publicly silent by the school’s athletic administration, below are some names to watch as detailed by sources to SuperTalk Mississippi News.
Bryant Vincent | Louisiana Monroe – Head coach
Vincent garnered national attention after a 5-1 start at ULM in his first season. Although the Warhawks have slipped to 5-5 after four straight defeats, Vincent is still a popular name after the lightning-quick turnaround at a historically challenging place to win.
The Kentucky native had a successful one-year stint as the offensive coordinator at New Mexico, a 7-6 record as the interim head coach at UAB in 2022, and four years as the offensive coordinator in Birmingham before taking over after Bill Clark retired due to medical issues.
Vincent inherited a ULM program that had won just 10 combined games in the previous three years but flipped the roster with 73 new players to immediately become competitive in the Sun Belt. While it will likely take a higher price to lure Vincent from Monroe, which would include buying out the remainder of his current contract, his proven ability to work the transfer portal and win quickly makes him an attractive contender.
Mike Jacobs | Mercer – Head coach
Jacobs is an enticing name for those who are hoping the Golden Eagles will be led by someone with a history of winning. The Ohio native began his head coaching career in his home state at Division II Notre Dame College, where he went 42-8. He then compiled a 32-9 record at Lenior-Rhyne University, also a Division II program, punctuated by a run to the semifinal game of the Division II playoffs in 2023.
Jacobs’ illustrious run in Division II led to his hiring at Division I FCS Mercer. The success hasn’t slowed at a higher level as he has the Bears ranked No. 7 nationally with a 9-2 record. His 23 years of coaching experience and a proven track record of winning as a head coach have put his name at the top of several coaching search lists across college football.
Mike Shanahan | Indiana – Offensive coordinator
As popular names go, Shanahan likely tops the board as far as who has been mentioned for the Southern Miss job. He’s unrelated to the Super Bowl-winning coach of the same name but has constructed an impressive resumé himself.
The young offensive coordinator has been on staff under Curt Cignetti, who currently has Indiana undefeated and ranked No. 5 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, since 2016 dating back to Cignetti’s time at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Shanahan’s first big break at the Division I FBS level was as the offensive coordinator at James Madison under Cignetti, where Shanahan coached multiple top 20 offenses.
This year at Indiana, Shanahan has led the Hoosiers’ dynamic attack as the offensive coordinator – currently the No. 15 total offense in America. But with a raise likely to come after Cignetti signed an 8-year, $64 million deal, along with Shanahan attracting plenty of attention as a head coach elsewhere, he might have worked himself out of Southern Miss’ price range.
Brennan Marion | UNLV – Offensive coordinator
Speaking of up-and-coming offensive minds, Marion has stepped into the spotlight in his second year as the offensive coordinator at UNLV. Though it’s his first coordinator job, the engineer of the newfangled “Go-Go offense” – a triple option, spread, RPO hybrid scheme –has earned him national recognition.
The former All-American Tulsa wide receiver got his first shot as a position coach in Division I FBS at Hawaii in 2020, followed by stops at Pittsburgh and Texas in the same position before being hired at UNLV in 2023. Marion was named the Mountain West Coordinator of the Year in his first season in Las Vegas, along with recognition as a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to college football’s top assistant.
Marion is another candidate who is getting plenty of other calls, specifically for an array of major offensive coordinator openings across the country. But if the young coach wants to be the head man somewhere, Southern Miss could be his first shot.
Joe Judge | Ole Miss – Senior analyst
Judge’s name has entered the conversation as of late, surprising many on the outside looking in. But the former New York Giants head coach reportedly expressing interest in the job is indicative of McClain’s assertion that the opening would be a coveted one.
The Mississippi State alum began his career at his alma mater, before adding some impressive lines on his resumé that include winning two BCS national championships on staff with Nick Saban at Alabama and three Super Bowl titles under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. Judge stepped back into the college ranks after spending 2022-2023 with the Patriots as an offensive assistant and assistant head coach, joining Lane Kiffin’s staff at Ole Miss in 2024 as a senior analyst.
Although Judge’s coaching pedigree packs a punch, his lack of experience in the new age of college football could give the hiring committee pause when considering the 42-year-old.
McClain has stated that he would like to have a new hire in place before the early signing period, which is set for December 4. If that timeline is to be followed, the search will begin to unfold in earnest over the next two weeks.
