Hours after the East Carolina Pirates became the first college football team to fire their coach during the 2024 season, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles followed suit.
Head coach Will Hall, who had been with the university since 2021, was fired Sunday.
Hall’s firing came just one day after the Golden Eagles lost 44-28 to the Arkansas State Red Wolves, dropping to 1-6 on the season. It was the team’s fifth straight loss.
“We are grateful to Will and his family for their dedication to Southern Miss over the past four years. Will poured his heart and soul into this program and into shaping these young men. Unfortunately, the results on the field didn’t align with our shared goals and expectations,” Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain said in a statement.
After a handful of Division II stops, Hall’s first Division I job came in 2017 when he was the offensive coordinator at Louisiana. Hall then spent time as the associate head coach of Memphis and Tulane before being hired by Southern Miss before the 2021 season.
His first season with the school saw a disappointing 3-9 finish, but year two saw the Golden Eagles go 7-6 and win the LendingTree Bowl against the Rice Owls.
Unfortunately for Hall, those seven wins in the 2022 season amounted for half of his 14 total wins in his time as the school’s head coach. 2023 saw another 3-9 finish before 2024’s 1-6 start proved to be the final straw.
Reed Stringer will coach the Golden Eagles for the rest of the season. Stringer has been with Southern Miss since 2018, serving in various roles on the offensive coaching staff.
The team will return to action on October 26 when they travel to Virginia to face the James Madison Dukes.
