HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss football coach Will Hall announced Saturday the first members of his coaching staff, which includes Cody Kennedy as offensive line coach/run game coordinator and Jordy Joseph as running backs coach.

Both Kennedy and Joseph join Hall from Tulane.

Kennedy comes to Hattiesburg after two seasons in New Orleans, where he helped the Green Wave offensive line improve drastically the last two seasons.

The Green Wave, which scored 30 or more points in seven-straight games at one point this season, currently holds a No. 18 national ranking in rushing offense (218.9) and No. 22 in scoring offense (27.2).

The Tulane offensive line improved dramatically from 2018 to 2019 in his first year. The Green Wave finished the 2019 season ranked 11th in the nation in rushing offense (243.2).

The Tulane offense set the program record in rushing yards at 3,162 yards in 2019 behind the improved offensive line. The offense ranked second in program history in rushing yards per game (243.2), rushing touchdowns (33) and rushing first downs (166).

He coached Corey Dublin, who earned Second-Team All-AAC honors from Phil Steele Magazine and Honorable Mention All-Conference from The American.

In his first signing class for the Green Wave, he signed six three-star offensive lineman. Prior to that signing, Tulane did not possess one offensive lineman rated three stars or higher on its then current roster.

Kennedy spent the 2018 season as a graduate assistant coach at Georgia where he helped the Bulldogs earn finalist honors for the Joe Moore Award that is given annually to the nation’s top offensive line. Before his time with Georgia, he was the offensive line coach at West Georgia for two seasons.

At Georgia, Kennedy helped coach the Bulldogs’ offensive line and was a big part of the team placing seventh in the final AP poll of the season. Georgia’s offensive line produced the 16th-best rushing offense in the country that averaged 238.8 yards per game on the ground. The rushing duo of D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield each eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season behind the coaching of Kennedy.

The Georgia offensive line also allowed just 1.4 sacks per game, a number that put them 24th in the country, and quarterback Jake Fromm finished the year fifth in the country in passing efficiency behind the Bulldogs’ front five.

Kennedy has previous experience working under Hall, as he served as Hall’s offensive line coach in 2016 while Hall was the head coach at West Georgia. Kennedy also stayed on as the offensive line coach of the Wolves in 2017.

In 2017, two of Kennedy’s West Georgia linemen earn All-America notice in center Harley Vaughan and tackle Austin Kastl. Quentin Stanford and Amanii Brown were also played on the All-Gulf South Conference Team.

His line helped the Wolves finish in the top 50 out of the 168 Division II schools in the country in rushing offense, completion percentage, first downs and passing efficiency as the team ended the year with a 9-4 record.

In 2015, Kennedy was the offensive line coach at the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. He was a graduate assistant in West Georgia in 2014, coming to the university with Hall. He was a graduate assistant at West Alabama for the two years prior to that.

Kennedy earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Southeastern Louisiana in 2012 and a master’s degree in physical education from West Alabama in 2014.

Joseph completed his fifth season with the Tulane staff and his ninth year as a member of the football program in 2020, before joining the Golden Eagles.

Joseph was serving his third year as an offensive analyst, assisting Hall with the team’s offensive game plan and with the team’s practice installation.

He helped Tulane post one of the most successful offensive seasons in program history during 2019. The Green Wave finished the season ranked 22nd in total offense (449.3) and 30th in scoring offense (33.1). Joseph helped Tulane rush for over 200 yards in nine games in 2019 and over 300 times four times.

The Tulane offense set the program record in rushing yards at 3,162 yards in 2019. The offense ranked second in program history in rushing yards per game (243.2), rushing touchdowns (33) and rushing first downs (166).

In 2018, Joseph played a key role in helping the Green Wave offensive unit surpass 400 yards of total offense in eight of their 13 games, including a season-high 535-yard effort against ECU.

Through Joseph’s assistance, Tulane’s rushing attack once again proved to be one of the nation’s best as the Green Wave averaged 218.2 yards per game, which ranked 23rd nationally and fifth in The American.

In 2017, Joseph played a major role in the team’s 2018 recruiting class, as he helped Tulane secure one of the top recruiting classes in The American.

Tulane’s 2018 signing class featured three four-star recruits and 18 three-star prospects. The class also featured individuals from eight different states, including eight from the state of Louisiana.

Previously, Joseph was a quarterback for Tulane from 2011-15.

A two-year letterman, Joseph completed 47 of 92 passes (51.1 pct.) for 620 yards and six touchdowns and three interceptions in 11 career games with two starts. He served as a backup during the final portion of his senior season before being thrust into duty in starts vs. Memphis and against Tulsa.

A native of New Iberia, La., Joseph was a four-year letterman at New Iberia High School where he helped the Yellow Jackets to a combined 25-10 record while earning three trips to the state playoffs.

Joseph earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business while also earning his Masters of Management as well in 2016. He also recently earned a Masters in Liberal Arts from Tulane.