Fedora officially leaves, Giannini to step down in January.

After many reports, Coach Larry Fedora made it official that he was accepting the head position at the University of North Carolina pending board approval.  Fedora met with his Golden Eagle team to tell them the news on Thursday afternoon.

            "Probably one of the most difficult situations that I have ever been involved in to be able to tell a bunch of guys that you love that there's a chance you won't be with them. These players are special, special to me, special to each one of these coaches. We've gotten to know them. We've driven them and they've given us everything they've got and that's why they are champions," said Fedora after the team-only meeting.

            North Carolina will officially announce Fedora as head coach Friday at noon in a news conference.

"It was a difficult decision for me and my family because you are making a decision where it's not just me, it's my family, also… This is a great place with great fans, great support through the administration," said Fedora.  "It's also a situation where I am extremely excited about. The University of North Carolina has a national brand and I think they are hungry to win championships."

            It was also announced that Fedora would coach the team in the Sheraton Hawai'I bowl.

            Junior lineman Austin Quattrochi talked about Fedora's decision to coach the team to finish out the season.  "It means a lot that he is going to stick around and finish what we started. We want to win 12 games and we want to be the best team in Southern Miss history.

            Along with Fedora departure comes the news that Richard Giannini is retiring as athletic director effective in early January. Giannini will stay on for coaching search.

            "Richard Giannini has been a true friend, a personal friend of mine throughout these four years and I look forward to that relationship in the future," said Fedora. He later added, "He has been a tremendous mentor for me in my first head coaching job. I couldn't have asked for a better situation to have an athletic director like Richard in my first job. I know he's going on to bigger and better things and probably a lot more time and less stress."

Jeff Hammond will be promoted to athletic director in January.

            It has been a rollercoaster week for a program that won its fifth Conference USA championship and secured its 10th consecutive bowl game.

            "It's been pretty crazy and up-and-down. We won the conference championship Saturday and then rumors started speculating about Fedora going to North Carolina, Texas A & M and Arizona State. It was like ‘Wow.' Then all-Conference came out and so we went back up. This came and went right back down. We find out Mr. (Giannini) leaving, too. It's like the AD leaving, the head coaching leaving, so it's like wow. Everything will be pretty well around here, "said Junior lineman Joe Duhon.