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Marshall football suffered a hard fall from grace after its 31-3 win over Louisiana in the Sun Belt Conference championship game.
The Thundering Herd (10-3) won double-digit games for the first time since 2015; however, following the victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns, Marshall saw head coach Charles Huff depart for conference rival Southern Miss.
Subsequently, the team had many players enter the transfer portal, causing it to opt out of its bowl game and be replaced by Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday against Army.
Here’s what you need to know about why Huff left Marshall and a look at his coaching record:
REQUIRED READING: Marshall football opts out of Independence Bowl vs Army due to mass exodus to transfer portal
Why did Charles Huff leave Marshall?
Despite a 31-3 win over Louisiana in the Sun Belt championship game and a 10-3 record for the Thundering Herd, Marshall and Huff could not agree on a contract extension. Huff made $755,000 annually with Marshall.
“There was a process put in place by the administration, and they went through that process thoroughly,” Huff said at his introductory press conference with Southern Miss. “At the end of it, they felt going in another direction was the right decision. That decision was probably made before we won the championship, if that makes sense. It was a mutual decision. It wasn’t a knock down, drag out.”
Following Huff’s departure, 36 players entered the transfer portal at Marshall, including 29 scholarship players, with starter Braylon Braxton, the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, among the players. As a result, on Dec. 14, the Thundering Herd notified bowl officials that they could not participate in the bowl game.
Former NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson was hired as the new coach for the Thundering Herd.
