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Mark Hudspeth
	Hudspeth at 2016 Sun Belt Media Day
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Gulf Shores HS (AL)
Record	17–6
Biographical details
Born	November 10, 1968 (age 56); Louisville, Mississippi, U.S.
Playing career
1987–1991	Delta State
Position(s)	Safety, quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1992–1993	Central Arkansas (GA)
1994	Nicholls State (WR/TE)
1995	Nicholls State (RB)
1996–1997	Winston Academy (MS)
1998	Central Arkansas (DB)
1999–2000	Delta State (OC)
2001	Navy (OC)
2002–2008	North Alabama
2009–2010	Mississippi State (WR/PGC)
2011–2017	Louisiana–Lafayette
2018	Mississippi State (AHC/TE)
2019	Austin Peay
2021–present	Gulf Shores HS (AL)
Head coaching record
Overall	106–63 (college); 42–7 (high school)
Bowls	2–1 (plus 2 vacated wins)
Tournaments	8–4 (NCAA D-II playoffs); 2–1 (NCAA D-I playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	2 GSC (2003, 2006); 1 OVC (2019)
Awards
	2× GSC Coach of The Year (2003, 2006); OVC Coach of The Year (2019)

Mark Douglas Hudspeth (born November 10, 1968) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Gulf Shores High School in Gulf Shores, Alabama, a position he has held since 2021. Hudspeth served as the head football coach at the University of North Alabama from 2002 to 2008, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 2011 to 2017, and Austin Peay State University in 2019.

Early life and playing career

Hudspeth grew up in Louisville, Mississippi.^[1] Hudspeth was a schoolmate at Winston Academy in Louisville, Mississippi of Andy Kennedy, former head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team and Matthew Mitchell of the Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team.^[2] He played college football at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, where he was a four-year letterman.^[1]

Coaching career

High school career

Hudspeth was head coach at his alma mater, Winston Academy, from 1996 to 1997.^[1] He took Winston Academy from a program that had four wins in the previous two seasons to a 25–1 record in his two seasons and lead the team to the 1997 Mississippi Private School Association Class A state title.^[1]

College career

Early college career

Hudspeth began his coaching career at the University of Central Arkansas as a graduate assistant from 1992 to 1993.^[2] In 1994, Hudspeth moved to Nicholls State University as wide receivers/tight ends coach and he became running backs coach at Nicholls State in 1995.^[3] In 1998, he returned to the University of Central Arkansas as defensive backs coach.^[4] From 1999 to 2000, Hudspeth was offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Delta State University.^[2] In the 2000 Division II championship game, his offense set title-game records in rushing yards (524), total yards (649) and first downs (36) en route to a 63–34 win.^[5] In 2001, Hudspeth moved to the United States Naval Academy as offensive coordinator.^[6]

North Alabama

In 2002, Hudspeth was hired for his first head coaching position at the University of North Alabama.^[7] He was head coach through the 2008 season and compiled a record of 66 wins and 21 losses.^[7]

Mississippi State (1st tenure)

From 2009 to 2010, he was wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator at Mississippi State University.^[8]

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

On December 13, 2010, Hudspeth was named the 26th head football coach at Louisiana–Lafayette.^[2] In his first season in 2011, he led a team that finished 3–9 the year before to a 9–4 record and an appearance in the New Orleans Bowl – their first bowl berth since 1970.^[7]

He added three more 9–4 seasons under his belt, playing in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl defeating East Carolina in 2012, Tulane in 2013 and Nevada in 2014.^[7] However, the NCAA forced Hudspeth to vacate 22 wins from 2011 to 2014, including the 2011 and 2013 New Orleans Bowls and 2013 Sun Belt Conference co-championship, due to NCAA violations involving academic fraud and payments to players by an assistant coach.^[9] The university relieved Hudspeth of his head coaching duties after the conclusion of the 2017 season.^[9]

Mississippi State (2nd tenure)

In 2018, Hudspeth returned to Mississippi State as assistant head coach/tight ends coach.^[8]

Austin Peay

In 2019, Hudspeth was hired by Austin Peay State University after Will Healy left to take the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.^[10] In his first season as head coach, Hudspeth led Austin Peay to its first 11-win season in program history, its first Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) title in 42 years, and first appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Governors defeated Furman and Sacramento State before falling in the Quarterfinals to Montana State.^[11]

On July 3, 2020, Hudspeth resigned, initially saying he was doing so to spend more time with his family.^[12] A public records request, however, found that Hudspeth had been suspended by Austin Peay at the time of his resignation for his "recent unacceptable conduct" and for violating terms of his contract involving "egregious personal conduct" and "conduct that is clearly contrary to the character and responsibilities" of the position.^[13]

Return to high school coaching

On January 8, 2021, Hudspeth was hired as the head football coach at Gulf Shores High School in Gulf Shores, Alabama.^[14]

Personal life

Hudspeth is married to Tyla McConnell and has four sons and one daughter.^[2]

Head coaching record

College


Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	STATS^#	Coaches^°
North Alabama Lions (Gulf South Conference) (2002–2008)
2002	North Alabama	4–7	3–6	T–8th
2003	North Alabama	13–1	9–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Semifinal
2004	North Alabama	5–5	4–5	T–6th
2005	North Alabama	11–3	7–2	T–2nd	L NCAA Division II Semifinal
2006	North Alabama	11–1	8–0	1st	L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal
2007	North Alabama	10–2	7–1	T–2nd	L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal
2008	North Alabama	12–2	7–1	2nd	L NCAA Division II Semifinal
North Alabama:		66–21	45–15
Louisiana–Lafayette/Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns (Sun Belt Conference) (2011–2017)
2011	Louisiana–Lafayette	1–4*	1–2*	3rd* (vacated)	V New Orleans* (vacated)
2012	Louisiana–Lafayette	5–4*	4–2*	T–2nd* (vacated)	W New Orleans
2013	Louisiana–Lafayette	1–4*	0–2*	T–1st* (vacated)	V New Orleans* (vacated)
2014	Louisiana–Lafayette	7–4*	5–1*	2nd* (vacated)	W New Orleans
2015	Louisiana–Lafayette	4–8	3–5	T–5th
2016	Louisiana–Lafayette	6–7	5–3	5th	L New Orleans
2017	Louisiana	5–7	4–4	T–5th
Louisiana–Lafayette/Louisiana:		29–38*	22–19*
Austin Peay Governors (Ohio Valley Conference) (2019)
2019	Austin Peay	11–4	7–1	T–1st	L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal	8	10
Austin Peay:		11–4	7–1
Total:		106–63*
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth

* Louisiana–Lafayette vacated 22 wins from 2011 to 2014, including the 2011 and 2013 New Orleans Bowls and 2013 Sun Belt Conference co-championship, due to NCAA violations involving a former assistant.^[15]^[16] Without the vacated wins, Louisiana went 9–4 in each season between 2011 and 2014.