USM names Mathies as defensive line coach

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (USM ATHLETICS)– Southern Miss football coach Charles Huff announced Thursday the hiring of Eric Mathies as defensive line coach for the 2025 season.

Mathies comes to Southern Miss after spending last season as defensive line coach and run game coordinator at Eastern Kentucky.

Prior to his stint at EKU, Mathies worked at Long Island University where he spent four seasons as the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator. At LIU, he helped transform the program from a Division II program into a formidable FCS program in the Northeastern Conference.

In his first season there, he coached and developed the NEC Freshman of the Year, Eric O’Niel, who was also named an FCS Freshman All-American and a Jerry Rice Award Finalist after recording 21 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. In 2023, Mathies helped improve the Sharks’ defense in all statistical categories while coaching O’Niel to becoming the NEC’s Defensive Player of the Year and AP All-American with 23.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Prior to LIU, Mathies spent one season as the defensive line coach at North Texas, helping the Mean Green reach the Myrtle Beach Bowl while developing First Team All-Conference USA nose guard Dion Novil.

Mathies also worked six years in Florida as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at South Florida and then Florida Atlantic. With the FAU Owls through the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Mathies coached a defensive front to cracking the top 10 nationally in sacks, a 57-spot improvement from the 2016 season. The defensive prowess in 2017 helped FAU to an 11-3 record and its first-ever Conference USA championship. In the two seasons in Boca Raton, Mathies also led recruiting efforts that resulted in the No. 1 recruiting class in the conference.

At USF, Mathies joined the Bulls in 2013 and guided the defensive line to a No. 12 rank in the FBS in tackles for loss per game while nearly tripling the forced turnovers from nine to 25 in his first season. Mathies also helped guide USF’s defensive end Eric Lee to Second Team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2015, as Lee led the Bulls with 12.0 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. USF ranked No. 13 nationally in tackles for loss (7.5 per game), led the AAC while ranking No. 26 nationally in sacks (2.62 per game), and was third in the conference and No. 31 nationally against the run (141.4 per game). His efforts continued in 2016, producing All-conference defensive linemen Deadrin Senet and Bruce Hector.

Mathies also enjoyed a stop at WKU from 2005 through 2012, as the defensive line coach and later recruiting coordinator. As recruiting coordinator, Mathies helped produce the top recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference in both 2010 and 2011, and the league’s second-ranked class in 2012, according to Rivals.com. Rivals and Scout.com also recognized Mathies as the Sun Belt Conference Recruiter of the Year, while Rivals.com named him one of the top recruiters in the nation following the 2010 season.

While coaching the defensive line, Mathies mentored Quanterus Smith, who earned All-America honors from both SI.com and Phil Steele after the 2012 season. Smith was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 12.5 sacks, which ranked third nationally. As a whole, the WKU defense led the conference in sacks, TFL, total defense, rushing defense, and pass efficiency defense in 2012.

Mathies got his start in college football as a four-year letter winner in football at Murray State, helping the Racers to a pair of Ohio Valley Conference championships as MSU qualified for the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs in both 1995 and 1996.

Mathies, and wife Brittney, have two daughters, Janelle (17) and Symone (7), and a son, Cassius (8).