HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Jay Hopson was an assistant coach on some good Southern Miss football teams during the 2000s.
Now he is returning to try to duplicate that success as the program's leader.
Hopson was introduced as Southern Miss' new football coach Monday, and he said the position is an "opportunity of a lifetime."
He was hired from Alcorn State, where he led the Braves to back-to-back SWAC championships.
This is his third stint at Southern Miss. He was the Golden Eagles' defensive backs coach from 2001 to 2003 and the defensive coordinator from 2005 to 2007.
The Vicksburg, Mississippi, native takes over for Todd Monken, who left after three seasons to become the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Golden Eagles had a 9-5 record last season.