Southern Miss promoted offensive coordinator Blake Anderson to head coach on Thursday to replace Charles Huff, who recently left for Memphis.
The school had previously announced Anderson as interim coach three days earlier after Huff took the Memphis job.
Anderson, who previously was head coach at Utah State and Arkansas State, served this past season at Southern Miss as offensive coordinator, and his passing offense ranked first in the Sun Belt.
In 10 seasons as a Division I head coach, Anderson is 75-54, including nine bowl games and three conference titles.
In a statement, athletic director Jeremy McClain pointed to the success Anderson had as a head coach at his previous stops as one key factor.
"Blake is an exceptional leader, a great communicator, and has the respect of the players and the staff throughout the Duff Center," McClain said. "We look forward to supporting him at the highest level and continuing the positive momentum for our program."