Reports: Fedora to leave USM for UNC

According to numerous media reports, fourth-year Southern Miss head football coach Larry Fedora has accepted the same position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As of Wednesday night, no official word was confirmed from either school regarding Fedora's position.

"To be honest with you, it's still a rumor until I'm told directly it's going to happen," Southern Miss offensive coordinator Blake Anderson told the Hattiesburg American. "We'll continue to work and do our jobs... Everybody on our staff is hard at work, recruiting, doing home visits and getting ready for the bowl game. That's all you can do."

As early as today, North Carolina media outlets have reportedly planned to release information for a news conference introducing Fedora as the new head coach. North Carolina's former head coach, Butch Davis, was fired in July because of an  NCAA investigation into the program's relationship with agents.

During an interview with WUSM Wednesday, USM senior quarterback Austin Davis said the team was in the dark about Fedora's status.

"We'll have to wait and see," Davis said. "Nothing's official, it seems like it's official, but not official... I think the biggest thing is not to forget what we just accomplished."

USM athletic director Richard Giannini told the Hattiesburg American that he is confident in finding a strong replacement should Fedora go to North Carolina.

"We've got a quality program," Giannini said. "If Fedora left the program, it's still going to be a championship quality program. We'll win just like past coaches have won here."

Sine the beginning of the week, Fedora and Giannini have been in New York at the annual National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It was there that Fedora reportedly interviewed with North Carolina officials. Fedora was mentioned as a top candidate at other schools such as Texas A & M, Arizona State and Kansas. Around 10 p.m. Tuesday night, the Hattiesburg American reported that UNC offered their head coaching job to Fedora, and that he had verbally accepted.

"Congratulations to Coach Fedora," senior linebacker Korey Williams said via Facebook. "He is a great coach and deserves the opportunity to move up in the coaching world. No one outside this team really knows how much he has meant to the players. Not only as a coach but also a great mentor and role model. I'm thankful that he was my coach."

It is unclear if Fedora will stick around to coach the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl in Honolulu on Dec. 24. The Golden Eagles will compete for the team's first 12-win season in school history at the bowl against the Nevada Wolf Pack (7-5).

Southern Miss has options to replace Fedora. These candidates include offensive coach Gus Malzahn from Auburn, running backs coach Frank Wilson from LSU, UL-Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeth, defensive coordinator Kirby Smart of Alabama, offensive coordinator Todd Monken of Oklahoma State, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson of South Carolina, Louisiana Tech Head Coach Sonny Dykes, receivers coach Darrell Wyatt of Texas, a former USM assistant or promoting offensive coordinator Blake Anderson or defensive coordinator Dan Disch.

In a four-year stint, 49-year-old Fedora accumulated a 33-19 record and led the team to four-straight bowl appearances.