Charles Huff (American football) facts for kids

Charles Huff Jr. (born April 26, 1983) is a well-known American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Southern Mississippi. He started this job on December 8, 2024. Before joining Southern Miss, he was the head coach at Marshall University from 2021 to 2024. He also worked as an associate head coach and running backs coach at the University of Alabama.

Charles Huff has also coached at Mississippi State and Penn State. He is known as one of the best recruiters in college football. This means he is great at finding and convincing talented young players to join his teams.

Playing Career in Football

Charles Huff played college football at Hampton University. He started on the team as a "walk-on" player, which means he wasn't offered a scholarship at first. He played as a fullback.

During his time at Hampton, he also played other positions like tight end and guard. Eventually, he became the starting center for the team. In his final year, he was chosen as a team captain.

Coaching Journey Begins

Charles Huff started his coaching career in 2006 at Tennessee State. He worked with the offensive line. His former coach from Hampton, Fred Kaiss, was the offensive coordinator there.

In 2007, he became the tight ends and special teams coach. He also helped with football operations. Later, he moved to the University of Maryland in 2009. There, he was an assistant offensive line coach.

In 2010, he returned to his old school, Hampton. He coached the offensive line and helped coordinate the team's running plays. In 2011, he worked at Vanderbilt as an offensive quality control coach. This role helps coaches review plays and strategies.

He then spent a year in the NFL in 2012. He was an assistant running backs coach for the Buffalo Bills. After that, he coached running backs at Western Michigan in 2013.

Coaching at Penn State

In 2014, Charles Huff joined Penn State as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator. He worked again with James Franklin, who was his coach at Maryland.

At Penn State, Huff was very important in helping a player named Saquon Barkley. Barkley became one of the best running backs in college football history. He won many awards and was named an All-American.

Time at Mississippi State

Huff moved to Mississippi State in 2018. He was the first coach hired by the new head coach, Joe Moorhead. During his one season there, the running backs on the team were very careful with the ball. They carried the ball 253 times and never fumbled it!

Winning with Alabama

In 2019, Charles Huff became the associate head coach and running backs coach at Alabama. This is a very famous and successful college football team.

At Alabama, he coached Najee Harris. In 2020, Najee Harris won the Doak Walker Award, which is given to the best running back in the nation. That same year, Alabama won its 18th National Championship!

Leading the Marshall Thundering Herd

Charles Huff became the head coach at Marshall University in 2021. This was a big step in his career.

On September 10, 2022, Coach Huff led Marshall to a huge victory. They beat the No. 8-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish 26–21. This was only the second time Marshall had ever beaten a top-10 team! He also won his first "bowl game" as a head coach in 2022.

In 2024, Coach Huff led Marshall to win their first-ever Sun Belt Conference championship. This was also their first conference championship in ten years!

Moving to Southern Miss

Even though Marshall won the Sun Belt championship in 2024, Charles Huff and the university couldn't agree on a new contract. So, he decided to leave.

On December 8, 2024, Huff was named the new head coach at Southern Miss. This team is also part of the Sun Belt Conference.

Head Coaching Record

Here's a summary of Charles Huff's record as a head coach: