Few people have turned a 25-point loss into a career-defining moment like Southern Miss coach Will Hall.
Back in 2006, Hall was a 26-year-old offensive coordinator for Southwest Baptist, a Division II school in Bolivar, Missouri. Midway through the season, Hall's team traveled to face in-state rival Central Missouri, a more successful program at the time that had eight straight winning seasons to its name.
Central Missouri did what was expected of it, beating Southwest Baptist 49-24. But Central Missouri coach Willie Fritz came out of that game impressed. In his eyes, Southwest Baptist shouldn't have been within seven scores.
He thought Hall was the difference.
"They should've scored zero on us," Fritz told the Clarion Ledger. "We were that much better than them talent-wise. After the game, I said something to him. I told him he did a nice job. I just kind of followed him after that. He maintained some contact with me as well."
MEET HALL:New Southern Miss football coach Will Hall: 'We're going to be the best Group of 5 program in America again'
HALL'S JOURNEY:Few coaches jump from D-II to FBS. How leading small teams prepared these coaches for the big time
Fritz and Hall have led parallel journeys through the Division II coaching ranks to lead FBS programs. Fritz went from Central Missouri to Sam Houston State to Georgia Southern to his current perch at Tulane. Hall turned head coaching jobs at West Alabama and West Georgia into an offensive coordinator job at Louisiana and an assistant head coaching job at Memphis before finally joining forces with Fritz at Tulane in 2019 and 2020.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spon...yers-share-advice-purchasing-home/5150378001/
Hall and Fritz built prolific offenses in New Orleans. They averaged 33.8 points per game over the last two years and led Conference USA in rushing yards (217.1 per game) in 2020.
"He wasn't just about winning games," Fritz said. "Sometimes guys lose that in the process, especially when they get in the Division I level. He's got a positive disposition about him. That's something I know I really appreciate."
Fritz is an example of a former Division II coach who found success in Division I. He went 40-15 in the FCS and has gone 46-40 with four bowl appearances in seven FBS seasons.
His advice for Hall on how to make the transition is to understand that building a Group of Five program is as much about salesmanship and awareness as it is about what's being sold.
"You've just got to find your niche," Fritz said. "Obviously at Tulane, we've got a different set of circumstances here than you have at Southern Miss. You've just got to understand your school, your area. Obviously accent your positives. We've got a world-class education to sell here at Tulane. And we've got a big city that we sell. You've just got to find what are your selling points, what are your strengths."
Fritz said Hall's positives are pretty easy to spot. Fritz joked he thinks Hall knows every third person in Mississippi. And if there's someone Hall doesn't know, Fritz thinks Hall's dad, Mississippi high school coaching legend Bobby Hall, probably does.
If Hall builds a program around those relationships and takes advantage of the fertile recruiting ground in south Mississippi, Fritz thinks Hall can find the success Southern Miss fans are craving.
"It's a really good marriage," Fritz said. "I think he's a really good fit at Southern Miss. I think that AD needs to get patted on the back. It's a smart hire for him and I'm just really happy for Will. He's one of those guys you root for."
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
Back in 2006, Hall was a 26-year-old offensive coordinator for Southwest Baptist, a Division II school in Bolivar, Missouri. Midway through the season, Hall's team traveled to face in-state rival Central Missouri, a more successful program at the time that had eight straight winning seasons to its name.
Central Missouri did what was expected of it, beating Southwest Baptist 49-24. But Central Missouri coach Willie Fritz came out of that game impressed. In his eyes, Southwest Baptist shouldn't have been within seven scores.
He thought Hall was the difference.
"They should've scored zero on us," Fritz told the Clarion Ledger. "We were that much better than them talent-wise. After the game, I said something to him. I told him he did a nice job. I just kind of followed him after that. He maintained some contact with me as well."
MEET HALL:New Southern Miss football coach Will Hall: 'We're going to be the best Group of 5 program in America again'
HALL'S JOURNEY:Few coaches jump from D-II to FBS. How leading small teams prepared these coaches for the big time
Fritz and Hall have led parallel journeys through the Division II coaching ranks to lead FBS programs. Fritz went from Central Missouri to Sam Houston State to Georgia Southern to his current perch at Tulane. Hall turned head coaching jobs at West Alabama and West Georgia into an offensive coordinator job at Louisiana and an assistant head coaching job at Memphis before finally joining forces with Fritz at Tulane in 2019 and 2020.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spon...yers-share-advice-purchasing-home/5150378001/
Hall and Fritz built prolific offenses in New Orleans. They averaged 33.8 points per game over the last two years and led Conference USA in rushing yards (217.1 per game) in 2020.
'He's one of those guys you root for'
But to Fritz, what stands out about Hall's coaching isn't the results. It's the demeanor."He wasn't just about winning games," Fritz said. "Sometimes guys lose that in the process, especially when they get in the Division I level. He's got a positive disposition about him. That's something I know I really appreciate."
Fritz is an example of a former Division II coach who found success in Division I. He went 40-15 in the FCS and has gone 46-40 with four bowl appearances in seven FBS seasons.
His advice for Hall on how to make the transition is to understand that building a Group of Five program is as much about salesmanship and awareness as it is about what's being sold.
"You've just got to find your niche," Fritz said. "Obviously at Tulane, we've got a different set of circumstances here than you have at Southern Miss. You've just got to understand your school, your area. Obviously accent your positives. We've got a world-class education to sell here at Tulane. And we've got a big city that we sell. You've just got to find what are your selling points, what are your strengths."
Fritz said Hall's positives are pretty easy to spot. Fritz joked he thinks Hall knows every third person in Mississippi. And if there's someone Hall doesn't know, Fritz thinks Hall's dad, Mississippi high school coaching legend Bobby Hall, probably does.
If Hall builds a program around those relationships and takes advantage of the fertile recruiting ground in south Mississippi, Fritz thinks Hall can find the success Southern Miss fans are craving.
"It's a really good marriage," Fritz said. "I think he's a really good fit at Southern Miss. I think that AD needs to get patted on the back. It's a smart hire for him and I'm just really happy for Will. He's one of those guys you root for."
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
