One season and no wins was all it took for Southern Miss to realize Ellis Johnson wasn’t the answer to replace Larry Fedora. The defensive experiment didn’t work out, so now the Golden Eagles are going back to a coach with an offensive expertise.
According to the Hattiesburg American and Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Todd Monken has been hired as USM’s next football coach. Monken just finished his second season with the Cowboys. Per the Oklahoman, Monken will not coach OSU in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Jan. 1. Who will call plays for the Cowboys is not yet clear.
Southern Miss nor Oklahoma State has confirmed the hire yet.
Oklahoma State averaged almost 45 points per game this season, fourth-best in the country. A rash of injuries meant OSU had to use three quarterbacks this year, yet still had a top-10 passing offense with 333 yards per game.
Johnson has since been hired as the defensive coordinator at Auburn under new coach Gus Malzahn.