Memphis has its next football coach.
The Tigers will hire Charles Huff from Southern Miss. replace Ryan Silverfieldsources confirmed to The Commercial Appeal on December 6. Huff will take over a program that has the opportunity to compete at the top of the American Conference and will be a contender for the conference title next season.
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Huff is 7-5 with the Golden Eagles this season. This was his first season with the program after leaving Marshall, where he had been since 2021. The Thundering Herd won the 2024 Sun Belt Conference title. Huff has brought numerous players and staff from Marshall to Southern Miss, and it's possible he'll look to do the same when he gets to Memphis.
So let's take a look at who he might target—and who he might want to keep on Memphis' current roster.
Which Southern Miss all-conference players are still eligible?
Southern Miss had three players on the All-Sun Belt first team: defensive lineman J'Mond Tapp, linebacker Chris Jones and DB Josh Moten. Both Tapp and Jones are still eligible. Jones was seventh in the country in tackles (first in the Sun Belt).
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Both linebacker Michael Montgomery and defenseman Ian Foster were named to the third team and remain eligible.
Southern Miss also signed nine players during the early signing period from Dec. 3-5. The highest rated player was Chauncey Davis of Suwanee, Georgia, who is 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds. He will be the highest-rated player in Memphis' class. The Tigers signed 18 players despite operating without a full-time coach.
Which players will Charles Huff most likely try to keep?
Just as Memphis fans may be looking for potential reinforcements on the Southern Miss roster, Arkansas fans are looking at Memphis' roster and wondering if any Tigers players will join Silverfield in Fayetteville. Most players have been waiting to find out who the next coach will be before making a transfer decision, and the portal won't open until January 2nd anyway.
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Of Memphis' all-conference players, running back Sutton Smith and kicker Gianni Spetic are the only ones remaining eligible. Smith will be a priority as he showed star potential during his time in Memphis but failed to fully realize it. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Other Memphis players who could be interested in the transfer portal include left guard Malachi Breland, guard Kamari Wilson, linebacker Everett Rousseau Jr. and defensive end Chris Bracey.
Memphis will have a new starting quarterback in 2026 as Brandon Lewis is ineligible. Redshirt freshman Arrington Maiden has already announced plans to enter the transfer portal, but he also said he will first meet with the new coaching staff. All eyes will be on freshman AJ Hill, who was the highest-rated Memphis quarterback ever in the 2025 signing class. Hill played only one game this season, replacing Lewis against UAB and nearly leading the Tigers to a comeback victory.
Hill's decision will be closely watched, but Memphis will likely still have to enter the portal to find quarterback depth. It's worth noting that 2025 Southern Miss starter Braylon Braxton, who was also with Huff at Marshall, is not eligible to compete.
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Contact sportswriter Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on the Memphis Commercial Appeal: Whoever Charles Huff might want to bring from Southern Miss, leave in Memphis.
