Southern Miss Football

Southern Miss has reportedly agreed to join the Sun Belt Conference, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.

A source told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg on Friday that the move is a "done deal" and would "probably" happen in time for the 2023 fall sports season.

Southern Miss currently plays in Conference USA. As Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press reported, six C-USA schools (UAB, Charlotte, Rice, Florida Atlantic, North Texas and UTSA) are set to join the expanded American Athletic Conference. The Golden Eagles' move would continue the exodus of teams as Division I conference reshuffling continues.

After UAB left for the AAC, Southern Miss was the last remaining original member of Conference USA.

Per Rittenberg, the Sun Belt has also had talks with C-USA schools Marshall and Old Dominion, as well as James Madison out of the Colonial Athletic Association in the FCS.

The Sun Belt has not officially invited any of those schools, although conversations with ODU and JMU are reportedly further along than with Marshall. Only five members would remain in C-USA if ODU and Marshall leave: Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Florida International, UTEP and Louisiana Tech.

C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said in a statement there are teams interested in joining the conference:

We have a strong core of members to build around and are continuing to work to strengthen our league as we move forward. There are several institutions interested in joining Conference USA, both across FBS and FCS, some of whom we've already met with in person. Every step we take will be deliberate, strategically sound, and intentional.

Thamel provided some potential additions:

Conference USA was formed when the Metro Conference and Great Midwest Conference merged in 1995.

The league has weathered exoduses before, including when the AAC welcomed Tulane, Houston, East Carolina, UCF, SMU and Tulsa over 2013 and 2014.

Southern Miss football head coach Will Hall's debut with the Golden Eagles ended with a 31-7 loss at South Alabama last Saturday.

Hall admitted to reporters Wednesday that he's feeling the heat as the team looks toward its home opener Saturday against Grambling State. He said his "life's on the line":

Hall arrived at Southern Miss after two years as Tulane's offensive coordinator. He was also a head coach at Division II West Alabama (2011-2013) and West Georgia (2014-2016).

The 41-year-old amassed a combined 56-20 record at those stops and notably led West Georgia to the Division II Football Championship semifinals twice.

Hall's first game with the Golden Eagles did not go well, however. For starters, South Alabama closed the game with 31 unanswered points.

That was because Southern Miss committed four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles) and ran the ball for just 2.8 yards per clip. The Golden Eagles struggled through the air, accumulating only 133 passing yards on 13-of-28 attempts.

On defense, Southern Miss couldn't stop South Alabama's Jalen Tolbert, who had five catches for 168 yards.

In sum, it was a rough opening game for a team that posted winning records from 2015-2019 before falling to 3-7 last year.

Southern Miss should be favored over Grambling State, a Division I FCS school that plays in the SWAC. The Tigers did win their opener 16-10 against Tennessee State and could post a threat to the Golden Eagles, however.

Kickoff is Saturday at 6 p.m. ET from M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Southern Mississippi alumnus Brett Favre threw another Hall of Famer into the mix as his alma mater looks to replace head coach Jay Hopson. 

Favre believes Deion Sanders "would be great for Southern Miss," per the Hattiesburg American's Joshua Capers.

"I think he would do a tremendous job, and we all know he can recruit, and we all know that he can bring attention," the legendary quarterback said.

Hopson resigned after the Golden Eagles' 32-21 defeat to South Alabama in their season opener. The school tabbed co-offensive coordinator Scotty Walden as the interim head coach.

Sanders is burnishing his coaching resume in the Texas high school ranks. He worked at Prime Prep Academy, a charter school he helped found, before its closure in 2015. From there, he moved on to the offensive coordinator gig at Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported last November the 53-year-old was a candidate in Florida State's coaching search. The Seminoles eventually hired Mike Norvell from Memphis.

Perhaps Favre's endorsement will help Sanders if he aspires to lead the Golden Eagles.

Running back Frank Gore Jr. had a change of heart and will play college football at Southern Mississippi starting in 2020.   

The son of Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore announced his commitment to the Golden Eagles on Thursday:

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Gore is a 3-star prospect out of Miami Killian Senior High School in Florida and is ranked as the No. 65 running back in the 2020 class. He is one of 14 players to sign their letter of intent at Southern Mississippi. 

His father offered up a scouting report about his son to reporters while playing for the Miami Dolphins in 2018: "He's got great vision. He can catch the ball, he can run routes. I just want him to continue to work hard. Just whatever he does this year, I don't want it to get to his head."

Gore initially planned on attending Florida Atlantic next year, but he re-opened his recruiting when Lane Kiffin left the program to become head coach at the University of Mississippi. 

In 12 games for Killian this season, Gore racked up 1,111 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 113 carries.

Southern Mississippi has posted winning records each of the past five seasons. The Golden Eagles will wrap up their 2019 campaign on Jan. 4 in the Armed Forces Bowl against Tulane. 

Southern Miss football supporters reacted strongly and negatively in response to news that ex-Baylor football head coach Art Briles was being considered for the school's open offensive coordinator position, per Rachel Axon of USA Today.

"In emails to the school's administration and athletic officials, they lobbied against hiring Briles because of his role in a sexual-assault scandal that led to his firing at Baylor," Axon wrote. "Some threatened to revoke financial support, either through season tickets or donations."

Briles was fired from the university in 2016 in the wake of multiple sexual assault allegations against his players, and allegations the football program, athletics department and university mismanaged the handling of those allegations. Axon outlined more details:

"According to a summary of an investigation by Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton released in May 2016, Baylor failed to comply with Title IX in addressing reports of sexual assault. The summary faulted the culture of the school broadly and the football program specifically for not only failing to help victims but also for discouraging some from reporting their assaults."

Southern Miss interim athletic director Jeff Mitchell prevented the potential hire by telling head coach Jay Hopson to "go in another direction."

Hopson disagreed with Mitchell's refusal to consider Briles and released a Feb. 6 statement, per Axon.

"I believe he is a man who believes a second chance," Hopson wrote. "He is a man that seemed sincere and humble in his interview and personally he committed no crime. He may not have acted in the proper protocol but that would be my JOB at Southern Miss!"

There is strong disagreement regarding that sentiment, however.

"There’s no question that he’s very tainted and that it would be ill-advised for any school to take a chance on this guy," Donna Lopiano, president of Sports Management Resources and a former president of the Women's Sports Foundation, told Axon.

She also noted that it wouldn't be a surprise if Briles received another opportunity in college football, noting "how corrupt the system is."

The 63-year-old currently leads the Estra Guelfi Firenze American football team, based out of Firenze, Italy.

The Golden Eagles eventually settled on Buster Faulkner, who was Arkansas State's OC for the past three seasons. He also spent four years as the Middle Tennessee OC and one season in the same position at Murray State.

Southern Miss finished 6-5 last season and opens the 2019 campaign against Division I-FCS Alcorn State on Aug. 31.

Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson recruited a junior college transfer accused of raping two women at knifepoint in 2015, but the player's application was denied by the admissions office after finding out about his past, per Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.

The sexual assault case against running back Charles West fell apart after the two women struggled to testify in front of him and did "not take the witness stand for a trial," according to Jennifer Emily of the Dallas Morning News.

Per Emily, "both criminal cases were downgraded to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon." West pled guilty to each case and received probation as part of a deal struck with prosecutors.

According to Auerbach, Hopson knew of the player's past but did not notify the school. West signed and was set to enroll in the school until the athletics department discovered his history and informed the university's admissions office.

Southern Miss was also the only school to offer a scholarship to the Garden City Community College player, who was a 3-star recruit out of high school.

The case follows a pattern for Hopson, who has been criticized for the additions he has attempted to make to his football program. Hopson tried to hire former Baylor coach Art Briles as the team's offensive coordinator until the move was blocked by the school, per Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

Briles lost his job in 2016 after an extended list of "allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence and other acts of violence involving several Baylor football players" were uncovered by Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach of ESPN.

Hopson also recruited a registered sex offender to play for him while coaching Alcorn State.

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles won't hire former Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles as their offensive coordinator. 

"We have met with Art Briles regarding a position with the Southern Miss football program," Southern Miss said in a statement Wednesday, per ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg. "Following that meeting, we informed him that he is not a candidate. The university will have no further comment on this matter."

Golden Eagles head coach Jay Hopson issued a statement of his own in opposition to the school's decision. Hopson wrote Briles "is a man who deserves a second chance," per Stadium's Brett McMurphy:

In May 2016, the Baylor University of Board of Regents suspended Briles with the intention of firing him. 

The move came after a report by ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach detailing institutional failures at the university to properly address allegations of sexual assault made against Baylor football players.

Reporting for Deadspin, Jessica Luther and Dan Solomon offered another thorough examination on Tuesday that was sharply critical of Baylor and the football program:

"But the whole time Baylor was winning games, building stadiums, and basking in on-field glory, its coaches were managing a series of incidents they were desperate to keep from dominating the news. Briles’ players were frequently in trouble, and internal communications from the coach to his staff show they worked hard to ensure that their players’ names didn’t end up in front of the university’s judicial affairs department or cross [Baylor Title IX coordinator] Patty Crawford’s desk."

Briles has yet to receive another college coaching job since his departure from Baylor. He spent eight years in Waco, compiling a 65-37 overall record and leading the Bears to six bowl games.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL were set to bring Briles aboard as an assistant head coach before backtracking on the decision and rescinding the offer. Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young said the team "made a large and serious mistake" by hiring Briles in the first place.

Briles' last stop was with Guelfi Firenze, an American football team in Italy. 

Rittenberg noted the 63-year-old is facing potential NCAA violations and is set to appear in front of the NCAA infractions committee in the spring.