Marshall has hired NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson as its next head coach, the team announced Sunday. Gibson replaces Charles Huff, who left for Southern Miss.
Gibson is a natural replacement at Marshall with strong ties to the state of West Virginia. He worked at in-state schools for 15 years between Glenville State, West Virginia Tech and West Virginia, including as a member of both Rich Rodriguez and Dana Holgorsen's staffs. Gibson was not retained by Neal Brown, and spent the last six seasons as a defensive coordinator at NC State. After questions for multiple years about Huff's desire to be at Marshall, Gibson would represent a native son coming home.
"He (Gibson) is a proud Boone County native with an enormous wealth of coaching experience that will continue to elevate and honor the tradition of success of Marshall Football," Marshall athletic director Christian Spears said in a statement released by the school. "We have recruited a proven coach that aspires to be at Marshall and to sustain the success we have come to appreciate and expect. We can't wait to get started with him and his staff."
Huff's departure came only one day after Huff led Marshall to its first conference championship since 2014 after a 31-3 win over Louisiana in the Sun Belt Championship Game. The Thundering Herd ended the season on a seven-game winning streak after a breakout stretch from junior quarterback Braylon Braxton. Braxton threw for 193 yards, rushed for 66 and added two touchdowns in the dominant victory.
However, Marshall and Huff had been in a public standoff over the past several weeks. Despite posting a 32-20 record in four years, Huff's contract was set to expire after the season. Rumors linked Huff to Southern Miss over the past week in the lead up to the conference championship game, but he turned them down. Instead, he put the onus on Marshall to give him a new contract.
Instead, Huff now prepares to join one of the most mercurial programs in college football. Southern Miss fired Will Hall after a 14-30 record in four years, including a 1-6 start to the 2024 season. The Golden Eagles have historically been one of the top Group of Five programs under Jeff Bower and continued the success under Larry Fedora, Todd Monken and Jay Hopson. However, the program tanked under Hall.
Huff made $755,500 last season, per the USA Today Salaries Database. Hall earned $824,000. However, Southern Miss is one of the poorest athletic departments in the FBS, ranking No. 107 out of 110 FBS public schools in athletic spending.
