Jay Hopson Southern Miss, Jay Hopson steps down as USM head football coach

 Jay Hopson Southern Miss, Jay Hopson steps down as USM head football coach.

For the fifth time in 13 football seasons, the University of Southern Mississippi will be conducting a search for a new head footbal.

Jay Hopson resigned Monday afternoon after four full seasons and a game to open his fifth that even he admitted “was hard to watch.”

In addition to Hopson’s reishnation, the athletic administration announced that receivers coach Scotty Walden had been named interim head coach.

Hopson had posted a record of 28-23. In his first four seasons, with the Golden Eagles participating in three postseason bowl games.

But USM had lost three consecutive games coming into the 2020 season and then gave up more than 30 points and 500 yards total offense to open the season against a team that was nearly a two-touchdown underdog.

USM athletic director Jeremy McClain said he and Hopson had spent the past few days discussing the direction of the program after Thursday night’s 32-21 season-opening home loss to the University of South Alabama.

“Coach Hopson came to me after last Thursday’s game to discuss what was on his heart and after much discussion over the weekend, he and I agreed that new leadership for our football program is needed,” McClain said in the release.