STARKVILLE — Mark Hudspeth is back in a position to lead a football program, and another coach with ties to Mississippi State will return to Starkville.
After serving as the head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette for seven seasons and working as an associate head coach/tight ends coach at Mississippi State this season, Hudspeth was named Tuesday the new head coach at Austin Peay.
On Wednesday, MSU announced Tony Hughes, who spent seven years on the football team’s coaching staff under Dan Mullen before becoming head coach at Jackson State, has returned to MSU to work in a yet-to-be-determined role on Joe Moorhead’s staff.
“Very few coaches understand the landscape of football in the state of Mississippi better than Tony Hughes,” Moorhead said. “Tony has recruited some of the greatest players in Mississippi State history who have gone on to NFL success. He is an experienced SEC coach and has a genuine ability to connect with his players. More importantly, anyone who knows Tony, knows the type of gentleman and mentor he is. He possesses a track record of developing players into men and preparing them for life after football. We are thrilled to welcome Tony and his family back to Starkville.”
Multiple sources told The Dispatch that MSU and Hughes had been in contact about re-joining the MSU staff for a while, as early as October, when he was fired at JSU. Hughes went 9-20 (8-12 in Southwestern Athletic Conference) at JSU. JSU was 3-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play when Hughes was fired.
Hughes could take the place of Hudspeth, but he also could slide into a recruiting staff role. He was the recruiting coordinator in his last stint at MSU.
“I am extremely appreciative of coach Moorhead for giving me the opportunity to work at Mississippi State again,” Hughes said. “Mississippi State means a lot to my family, and we are excited to be a part of a great football staff and a terrific athletic department. I can’t wait to get started.”
Austin Peay has scheduled a news conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday to introduce Hudspeth as head coach.
“I want to thank (Austin Peay Director of Athletics) Gerald (Harrison), President (Alisa) White, and all of the Govs family for giving me this incredible opportunity to be the head football coach at Austin Peay,” Hudspeth said in a statement released by Austin Peay. “There is a special group of young men that have established a winning culture here, and I’m eager to get on the field with them and begin working to achieve new heights together.”
Hudspeth led Louisiana-Lafayette to five bowl games in his seven years. The Louisville native served as MSU’s wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator in 2009 and 2010 Prior to that, he led North Alabama to the NCAA Division II semifinals three times in seven seasons.
Hudspeth was viewed as an important recruiting piece for Moorhead’s coaching staff that had few pre-existing ties in the South entering its first season. Moorhead’s staff still has defensive line coach Brian Baker and cornerbacks coach Terrell Buckley, who were retained from Mullen’s staff. Special teams coordinator Joey Jones also has decades of experience as a coach in the state of Alabama.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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