Memphis head coach Charles Huff took over in December, replacing Ryan Silverfield, who accepted the head coaching position with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
In his lone season at Southern Miss, Huff led the Golden Eagles to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022 before taking the Memphis job.
Charles Huff Discusses Jimbo Fisher’s Visit
While speaking to reporters after spring practice on Monday, Huff discussed inviting former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher to a Memphis practice, leveraging their shared connection to Nick Saban.
“Coach Fisher and him (Saban) are obviously from the same area in West Virginia, coached together, coached against each other for a long time,” Huff said. “So I had a lot of respect for what he’s done. I reached out to him, he’s sitting at home on the farm with $75 million. I said, ‘Man, you miss ball?’ He said, ‘Some days.’
“I said, ‘Why don’t you come up for a day and kind of put some eyes on things,’ and he was more than willing, so I couldn’t be more appreciative.”
Fisher worked under Saban at LSU and has not taken another job since he was fired by Texas A&M in 2023. He was owed a $77.5 million buyout, the largest settlement in college football history.
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Huff previously invited former Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong, a former defensive analyst under Saban, to a Memphis spring practice. Huff also stated he visited Texas to consult with Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, who served on Saban’s staff.
Huff detailed why he consulted with veteran coaches during his early tenure at Memphis.
“We talk to the players all the time about improving and working on your craft,” Huff said. “(Fisher) was here all day, he was really here to help me. I’ve been a head coach five, six years, but I’m not a veteran.
“So I wanted to get fresh eyes on what we’re doing. We talk to the players all the time about, ‘You’ve got to work to improve your craft.’ Coaches got to do it, too. So we had him here today.”
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Huff served under Saban as Alabama’s running backs coach and associate head coach from 2019 to 2020, winning a national championship. In four seasons as head coach of the Marshall Thundering Herd, he led the team to a 32-20 record and three bowl appearances.
