Takeaways from Charles Huff’s introductory press conference

Charles Huff was introduced Wednesday afternoon as the program’s 26th head coach, and he had a lot to say about what Memphis will look like under his leadership. 

Memphis Athletics Director Ed Scott introduced Huff at the introductory press conference and said that Huff fit all the boxes they were looking for in the next head coach. Some of the qualities Scott mentioned included championship pedigree, strong regional recruiting ties and experience as a head coach or a power four coordinator. 

“In coach Huff, this is what I believe we found for our family in Memphis,” Scott said. “A proven winner, somebody focused on player and character development, a man with championship pedigree, strong regional recruiting ties, and a clear vision for Memphis football.”

Huff has experience both as a power four coordinator and as a head coach, and he coached in a conference and a national championship as an assistant at Alabama and led Marshall to a conference championship game in 2024. The AD also pointed out that Huff was named the National Recruiter of the Year by 247 Sports in 2021.

When Huff took the podium, he brought a lot of energy and passion, and most Tiger fans left with an excitement about the new era.

Here’s some takeaways from what Charles Huff said in his introductory press conference: 

Huff emphasized recruiting, especially local prospects

The Tigers’ new coach has a good reputation when it comes to bringing in talented players, and he talked a lot about bringing in players from high school and the portal. Huff praised the elite resources that Memphis has and the talent in the area.

“We’re going to be urgent and aggressive in recruiting,” Huff said. “I truly believe some of the best football and football coaches are right here in Memphis.”

Both Scott and Huff stressed the importance of recruiting local prospects and keeping them in Memphis. The city has produced plenty of high level college prospects, but the Tigers have struggled at times bringing them to Memphis.

Huff emphasized that he will bring local guys to the program, whether it’s out of high school or in the portal.

“Ultimately, we’ve got to keep the best football players in the high school ranks here in the city of Memphis,” Huff said. “If they do leave, I’m going to get them back.”

Huff has championship aspirations

The head coach is no stranger to championship games, and he looks to get Memphis back into that conversation. The Tigers haven’t played in a conference championship game since 2019, and it was clear that Huff understands that the expectation is to get the program back into conference championship games.

“I’m here to close the gap,” Huff said. “We’ve been good. We’ve won a lot of games. It’s time to win championships. That’s flat out why we’re here.”

Marshall won the Sun Belt conference championship in 2024 under Huff, and Southern Miss was in the conversation to make the conference championship this season before it lost the final three games of the season.

The championship expectations will be on him early, but it looks like Huff is ready to put Memphis in that position sooner rather than later.

Insight on what the team will look like on the field

Before he wrapped up the press conference, Huff gave a brief look at what the team will look like on the field. Offensively, it sounds like it will be pretty up-tempo, while the defense will run a 4-2-5 look.

Huff didn’t share much about what the offense will look like, but he did make it sound like it’s going to be an up-tempo approach. With the Golden Eagles, Huff’s offense had a lot of success through the air, averaging 266.6 passing yards per game.

“We’re going to be open on offense,” Huff said. “I’m going to try to snap it as fast as humanly possible, and then, we’re going to have the ability to slow it down when needed.”

On the other side of the ball, Huff will continue to run the 4-2-5 defense that he used at Southern Miss. Last season, his defense recorded 21 interceptions, and it appears he wants to bring that same style to the Bluff City.

“We just left a university where we led the country in interceptions,” Huff said. “We’re going to play 4-2-5 vision coverage on the quarterback. 

“Five guys looking at the quarterback, somebody should catch it. And, we’re going to get bigger on the D-Line. Got to be able to stop the run with four, got to be able to add five and six to the box and keep five on. That’s what we’re going to do.”