BREAKING: Russ Huesman named Richmond's next head football coach

Russ Huesman, former head coach at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), will replace Danny Rocco as Richmond's football coach, Assistant Athletic Director Scott Day confirmed Wednesday morning.

Huesman's hiring comes less than 24 hours after Rocco announced he would accept the head coaching job at Delaware, a CAA foe of Richmond's. Rocco had hinted at issues with the administrations vision for the football program and after his departure, many Richmond football players voiced their dissatisfaction with the administration and Athletic Director Keith Gill on Twitter. 

Huesman spent the last eight years building a winning program at Chattanooga. Under Huesman, the Mocs went 59–37, won three Southern Conference titles and reached the last three playoffs. 

Before coaching at UTC, Huesman served as Richmond's defensive coordinator for five years, including the 2008 championship season. During that period, the Spiders were well-regarded for their "stonewall defense," a term coined by Bruce Dowd of College Sporting News. 

Huesman's move to Richmond likely comes with a hefty pay raise. He made about $246,000 a year while coaching Chattanooga, while Danny Rocco made about $437,000 in 2012, The Collegian reported in September 2015. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Tuesday that UTC was working on a financial package worth about $320,000. 

“I’m excited to return to Richmond, a place that my family and I dearly love, for the opportunity to be the head coach of this incredibly successful football program,” Huesman said, according to Richmond Athletics.

Huesman's introductory press conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday. 

Contact editor-in-chief Charlie Broaddus at charlie.broaddus@richmond.edu