Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead explains what he will be looking for in hiring assistants

STARKVILLE — In a setup that Mississippi State fans should be used to, new Bulldogs coach Joe Moorhead said Thursday during his introductory press conference that he would be calling the shots on offense as the play-caller.

Moorhead added he intends to hire “a couple of guys” with titles as co-offensive coordinators. One of them is reportedly Penn State running backs coach Charles Huff. The Athletic reported Thursday that Huff was set to join Moorhead as the former Penn State offensive coordinator’s first hire at MSU.

Huff, who has been at Penn State since 2014, has a reputation as a strong recruiter and is currently ranked No. 4 in the country by 247Sports for the 2018 cycle. His previous stops were with Western Michigan, the Buffalo Bills, Vanderbilt, Hampton, Maryland and Tennessee State.

Moorhead has more moves to make after the departures of offensive line coach John Hevesy, receivers coach Billy Gonzales and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. All three went to Florida to join Dan Mullen. Mullen, of course, called plays at MSU while Hevesy and Gonzales shared offensive coordinator duties and the title. Moorhead also has to work on who will serve as the new 10th assistant coach, which all schools will be able to hire starting on Jan. 9, 2018.  

More:New Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead has list of candidates for defensive coordinator

“The wheels are in motion with that,” Moorhead said. “Looking for guys with intelligence, loyalty and a great work ethic.”

The most important decision will be at defensive coordinator.

“We’ve got a great bunch of names that are under consideration,” Moorhead said. “Really, when I look at a defensive coordinator having been on offense my entire life, I look for guys who do things that make it difficult for me to game plan against. You can talk about three-down, four-down, different types of coverage schemes and things like that, I want someone who is going to be multiple, who is going to be versatile and who is going to be attacking. And really, be a mirror-image of our offense.”

When asked about a timetable for these moves, Moorhead said he wouldn’t be in a rush.

“I can make 10 calls right now and have this staff filled before this press conference ends, but I want to measure twice and cut once,” Moorhead said. “Make sure we are not just hiring for the sake of getting this thing filled up but we want to make sure we are getting the right people in here that give us the opportunity to be successful in the long term.”