Once upon a time, Southern Miss was Boise State long before Boise State was Boise State.
Yes, the Golden Eagles were the prime Group of Five program when no one used such a term and when college football's class divide was altogether different.
USM is trying to find its way back to that perch, and it's positioned for a brilliant hire in the process.
Numerous sources tell FootballScoop that current Marshall head coach Charles Huff is in line to become the next leader of the Golden Eagles program.
He's finishing off a four-year run in charge of Marshall culminating in this weekend's SunBelt Conference title bout at Louisiana.
In addition to his work atop the Marshall program, which includes four consecutive postseason appearances, Huff also has NFL and Power Conference coaching experience.
He was on staff for the NFL's Buffalo Bills, and he's been at college football's top level during assistant coaching runs with Alabama, Maryland, Mississippi State, Penn State and Vanderbilt.