Jan. 2, 2008

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - University of Southern Mississippi football coach Larry Fedora announced today the hiring of five individuals to his coaching staff, Blake Anderson, Barney Farrar, Tony Hughes, Frank Wilson and Darrell Wyatt. The appointments are subject to approval by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

Fedora also announced the positions that each is slated to oversee as Anderson will coach the quarterbacks, Farrar will oversee the tight ends, Hughes will run the defensive secondary, Wilson will guide the running backs, and Wyatt will serve as both the wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator.

Anderson comes to Southern Miss after spending last season at Louisiana-Lafayette as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The Cajuns posted the No. 6 rushing offense nationally (251.6) in 2007 and became the Sun Belt's first ever 3,000-yard rushing team (3,019). The team averaged a Sun Belt-record 5.6 yards per carry en route to producing two 1,000-yard rushers. UL ran for 250 yards or more in seven games and scored at least one rushing touchdown in all but one contest.

Anderson, who was in private business from 2004-2006, previously worked at Middle Tennessee, where he helped direct an offensive unit as co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2002-04. During his time with the Blue Raiders, the team led the Sun Belt in scoring offense during the 2003 season and ranked 15th nationally in passing offense during the 2004 campaign. His 2003 team averaged 27.7 points per game, generating 42 total touchdowns. In 2004, his MTSU passing attack averaged 267.7 yards per game.

Anderson spent three seasons at New Mexico before landing at MTSU. He served as the wide receivers coach in 2001 and running backs coach from 1999-2000. The UNM rushing attack was responsible for a major share of the Lobo offense in 2000. The Lobos averaged 148 yards per game on the ground, which accounted for 56 percent of the team's total offense.

Anderson worked at Trinity Valley Community College (1995-98) before joining the Division I FCS ranks at New Mexico. In 1998, he was the offensive coordinator and the Cardinals went 7-3. Trinity Valley led the conference in rushing offense and was eighth nationally. The Cardinals were also second in their league in total offense under Anderson's guidance and led the league in scoring average. He helped lead the Cardinals to the 1997 NJCAA National Championship. Other capacities in which Anderson served were quarterbacks and receivers coach, defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator.

A two-year letterwinner at wide receiver for Sam Houston State from 1989-91, Anderson was named Southland Conference All-Academic as a senior. He also played for two years as a quarterback and receiver at Baylor (1987-89) before transferring. A native of Hubbard, Texas, Anderson graduated with his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Sam Houston State in 1992. He also attained his master's degree in sports administration from Eastern New Mexico in 1994.

Anderson, and wife Wendy, have one daughter, Callie, and two sons, Coleton and Cassie.

Farrar came to the Golden Eagles after spending the last year in football operations/quality control at Iowa State. Prior to his time there, Farrar also served a year as assistant athletics director at Ole Miss for a year for football external affairs after working 12 years at Rice for coach Ken Hatfield. During his time at Rice, Farrar worked as an outside linebackers coach for three seasons, before moving to defensive ends for the next eight years and then oversaw the cornerbacks during his final year in 2005.

Farrar also worked for Hatfield and coach Danny Ford over a 10-year period at Clemson, serving in a variety of roles.

The native of Kossuth, Miss., played his collegiate football at Northeast (Miss.) Junior College and at Delta State. As a Statesman, Farrar helped DSU accumulate a 12-8 record in 1981 and 1982 while also serving as a team captain his senior season. Farrar earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1983 and a master's degree in physical education in 1985, both from Delta State.

Farrar has a son, Clint, and a daughter, Cari.

Hughes returns to his alma mater, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1980 and lettered in football during the 1977 and 1978 seasons. His first collegiate assignment came as a graduate assistant for the Golden Eagles during 1984-85.

He then spent a year as a secondary coach at Philadelphia (Miss.) High School in 1985, following that stop with a stint at South Natchez High School from 1986 to 1988 where he was the secondary coach as well as the boys track coach. Hughes then moved to Hattiesburg High from 1988 to 1992, where he became the offensive coordinator as well as coaching the offensive backs and receivers. He then moved to the collegiate ranks, where he was a secondary coach and administrative assistant at West Alabama for a year.

From there, Hughes worked at Hinds Community College from 1993 until 2003, filling the capacity of secondary coach for nine years, before moving over to defensive coordinator in his final season. During his tenure at Hinds, Hughes coaches eight players who have gone on to play in the NFL, including 2002 Heisman Trophy runner-up Brad Banks, Fred Smoot and Jerome McDougle. In addition, he served as the men's track coach at Hinds.

Hughes then worked at Louisiana Tech from 2003 until 2005, where he worked with the defensive backs in 2003, before moving to outside linebackers in 2004. During his time at Tech, Hughes coached Jerron Wishom, who signed with the Green Bay Packers.

The last stop for Hughes came at Ole Miss where he spent three seasons. The first two as part of the Rebel staff came during the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, where he was the defensive backs coach. He worked with Trumaine McBride, who now is a member of the Chicago Bears. He was also named one of the Top 25 college football recruiters by Rivals.com in the spring of 2006.

Hughes, and wife Marion, have two sons, Jamison and Jay.

Wilson spent the last three seasons at Ole Miss as the running backs and assistant special teams coach before coming to Southern Miss. He coached BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who was only the second Rebel running back to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. He also mentored Mico McSwain to honorable mention Freshman All-America honors in 2005.

Prior to working at Ole Miss, Wilson was head coach at O. Perry Walker High School in New Orleans from 2000-2003, earning numerous Coach of the Year awards, as well as leading O.P. Walker to the 2002 Class 4A state championship. He guided 22 players to Division I football scholarships. He also worked in the prep ranks in the Crescent City at Edna Karr High, from 1997-2000, where he was an assistant coach. He earned the title of offensive coordinator in 1999 and led the school to the Class 3A state championship game.

He got his coaching start at his alma mater, Nicholls State, as he served as a student assistant coach during the 1996 season working with the running backs. Wilson, a three-year letterwinner with the Colonels, originally attended Geneva University in Beaver Falls, Pa., before transferring following a season that earned him first team all-conference and Division II Honorable Mention All-America honors.

Wilson and his wife, Tiffany, have three children, Alaina, Sa'bree and Frank IV.

Wyatt was a member of the Arizona Wildcats staff last season as the wide receivers/passing game coordinator coach. In his lone season, the Wildcats ranked No. 10 nationally in passing yards per game (308.5) as Mike Thomas was the leading receiver for U of A with 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns.

A 19-year coaching veteran, Wyatt began his career at Trinity Valley Community College, where he also played two seasons as a wide receiver. He later earned his bachelor's degree from Kansas State, where he played in 1987-88. He returned to Trinity Valley for three years as an assistant coach after graduating from KSU and his 1991 team won the Texas Junior College Conference championship.

He then moved on to Sam Houston State where he coached the receivers for three seasons. His next stop was a year at Wyoming in 1995, where he helped guide All-American Marcus Harris, who had 78 catches for 1,433 yards, followed by a year as the receivers coach at Baylor in 1996.

Wyatt then moved to Kansas, where he worked for four seasons as the receivers coach and eventual offensive coordinator and associate head coach. After the Jayhawks, Wyatt moved to Oklahoma State for the 2001 campaign and then was hired by Oklahoma, where he spent four years with the Sooners (2002-05) in overseeing the receivers as well as becoming passing game coordinator for the 2005 year. After a year in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings as receiver coach, brought Wyatt to the Arizona Wildcats.

Wyatt, and wife, Cindy, have one son, Demsond, and one daughter, Charese.