Memphis head coach Charles Huff, whose team sits at 7-2 in his first season leading the Tigers, told reporters Tuesday that speculation about him leaving the program is actually working to his advantage on the recruiting trail.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Huff addressed the rumors directly rather than deflecting them.
“To be completely honest with you, I’m going to give you guys a secret,” Huff said. “Every time a coach says, ‘Coach Huff ain’t going to be there,’ it actually works in my favor. Because if I’m leaving Memphis, I ain’t going to high school, I’m going to something bigger. Would everybody agree? So I tell the kids: You’re going with me. Just like the 31 did at the other place, just like the 17 did.”
He continued, explaining how he frames the rumors to recruits who might otherwise worry about his commitment to Memphis.
“So every time a coach says, ‘Well, he ain’t going to be there,’ the kid’s like, ‘Great. I can go with the dude and the people I love and the organization I love, and we still get better than Memphis. This is awesome. Let me commit.’ So it works out in our favor. So you should probably stop using it. You should probably say: He’s going to be there forever.”
Huff, 43, has been mentioned as a candidate for the Maryland head coaching job, which opened after the Terrapins fired Mike Locksley in October.
Huff’s comments also confirmed what many assumed: if he takes another job, he intends to bring players with him, the same approach he used when he left Marshall for Southern Miss in 2025 and then left Southern Miss for Memphis a year later.
Memphis has three regular-season games remaining, with road trips to South Florida and Navy before closing out the season at home against Temple on November 27.
