Southern Miss football coach Will Hall fired after 1-6 start. What’s next for Golden Eagles?

Southern Miss has parted ways with head football coach Will Hall, who had a 14-30 record in just over three seasons, according to an announcement from the school.

The Golden Eagles are 1-6 and reeling after a 41-28 loss to Arkansas State on Saturday. Assistant head coach and general manager Reed Stringer has been named the interim coach.

“We are grateful to Will and his family for their dedication to Southern Miss over the past four years,” Athletic director Jeremy McClain said in the statement. “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.”

Besides his overall losing record at USM, his teams went 8-19 in conference play. Hall won just 10 games out of 40 against FBS opponents and leaves with the worst winning percentage among the coaches to have lead the Golden Eagle football program for at least 15 games.

His 2022 team did produce a 7-6 season that resulted in a LendingTree Bowl win over Rice. But the Golden Eagles were 3-9 the following season and began the 2024 campaign with blowout losses to Kentucky, South Florida and Jax State. They were also on the third five-game losing streak of Hall’s tenure.

Hall’s contract was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025. The school will owe Hall 100% of the remainder of his contract, which earned him a base salary of $824,000 per season.

Stringer is in his seventh season on staff and fourth in his current role.

“Our immediate focus is twofold: first, supporting our student-athletes throughout the remainder of the season, and second, conducting a comprehensive national search to identify the next leader for Southern Miss football,” McClain said. “This is a proud program with an outstanding history and a premier job in college football. We will find the next leader to usher us into a new era of championship success.”

The school will be using a search firm to assist in the hiring process, according to an email sent to members of the Southern Miss Athletic Foundation and Circle of Champions.

Southern Miss is will return to action Saturday against James Madison.