Southern Miss names Jay Hopson head coach
Following one of the longest weeks for that program in some time, Southern Miss has announced Jay Hopson as its next head coach. Hopson replaces Todd Monken, who left Sunday to become the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Hopson claimed the job after Florida offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was removed from consideration earlier Saturday.
Hopson, 47, arrives from Alcorn State, where he led the Braves to a 32-17 mark in four seasons, including a 19-7 record with two SWAC East Division championships over the past two seasons. A Mississippi native, Hopson played at Ole Miss and Delta State. He's spent his entire life in the South, save for stints at Michigan and Marshall, including a run as Southern Miss' defensive coordinator from 2005-07.
Hopson takes over a Golden Eagles program that is vastly improved from where it was just a few seasons ago. After winning the 2011 Conference USA championship, Southern Miss won just one game over the 2012-13 seasons, but progressed to 3-9 in 2014 and blossomed to 9-5 this fall with an appearance in the Conference USA title game.
Hopson's brings the 2015-16 FBS head coaching market to a close, which had only reopened with Monken's move earlier in the week.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
