Colorado State v Utah State
Getty Images

Southern Miss announced Thursday that it promoted interim coach Blake Anderson to the full-time position. Anderson took over the head coaching duties on an interim basis after Charles Huff departed earlier this week to fill the Memphis vacancy. He spent the 2025 season on staff as the Golden Eagles' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, marking his second stint with the program after his 2008-11 tenure as an assistant.

Anderson's elevation puts him back in charge of a program for the first time since Utah State fired him for cause in 2024. He previously oversaw the Arkansas State and Utah State programs and posted a 74-53 record across the two schools with nine bowl appearances in 10 years. Anderson won the Sun Belt twice with the Red Wolves and the Mountain West once with the Aggies.

"We are excited to announce Blake Anderson as the next leader of our football program," Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain said. "He brings a wealth of experience and a ten-year run as a successful head coach, including multiple conference championships in the Sun Belt, a Mountain West conference championship, and nine bowl appearances. Blake is an exceptional leader, a great communicator, and has the respect of the players and the staff throughout the Duff Center. We look forward to supporting him at the highest level and continuing the positive momentum for our program."

Utah State fired Anderson just over a month prior to the start of the 2024 season after an internal investigation concluded that he violated university Title IX policies. After an Aggies football player was arrested for alleged domestic violence in April 2023, Utah State said that Anderson did not immediately report the incident to the Office of Equity and instead conducted a personal investigation -- which included the contacting of the player's girlfriend and roommate -- to determine whether punitive action should be taken against the player.

Anderson filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Utah State, and his lawyers accused the university of leading "what is essentially a public smear campaign" against their client.

Anderson's coaching experience dates back to 1992 and features numerous stops throughout the Group of Five ranks. He also spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Carolina from 2012-13.

The best year of Anderson's career came in 2021 when he led Utah State to a Mountain West title and defeated Oregon State in the LA Bowl. The Aggies won 11 games that season, matching a program record. They also cracked the AP Top 25 poll for just the fifth time in program history.