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Southern Mississippi hires Jay Hopson as head coach

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Mississippi has hired Alcorn State's Jay Hopson as its next head football coach.

Southern Miss athletic director Bill McGillis announced the hiring Saturday on Twitter. Hopson replaces Todd Monken, who left last week after three seasons to become the offensive coordinator for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

McGillis said Hopson will be introduced at the school on Monday.

Hopson became the first white head football coach in Southwestern Athletic Conference history in 2012, when he took over at Alcorn State, which is a historically black university. The Braves won a SWAC championship in each of the past two seasons.

The Vicksburg, Mississippi, native has been a Southern Miss assistant coach twice in the past, both times under Jeff Bower in the 2000s. Hopson played football at Ole Miss.