Marshall’s Christian Hood Picks Up First D-I Offer From Southern Miss

With the month of June just a few days old, the list of East Texas recruits in the 2019 class wth Division I FBS scholarship offers is ever growing.

The ninth incoming junior from the region to receive an FBS opportunity is Marshall offensive lineman Christian Hood (6-2, 290), who reported his first offer Tuesday from Southern Miss.

Out of the nine Class of 2019 prospects with FBS offers, four are now offensive linemen. Hood joins Elysian Fields' Jade Ashalintubbi, John Tyler's Chance Billington, and Longview's Marcus Williams on that list.

Hood is also now one of three Marshall Mavericks offensive linemen with FBS opportunities. Chasen Hines and Kameron King, both 2018 prospects, have a combined 21 offers from FBS programs.

Hines is committed to LSU, while King has offers from Louisiana-Monroe, Memphis, North Texas, Tulane, and Southern Miss.

Marshall's new head football coach, Claude Mathis, is certainly no stranger to leading programs with elite Division I-caliber talent. Mathis spent seven seasons as head coach at Class 6A DeSoto, which went 74-18 and sent dozens of players to FBS programs during his tenure.

Last season, Hood helped Marshall’s offense to 3,939 total yards in an 11-game campaign.

Hood was another in a long line of East Texas recruits to be targeted by Southern Miss this spring. The Golden Eagles have offered 18 local prospects in the 2018 and 2019 classes, including six since Monday.

Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson posted a 6-6 regular season record his first year in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and closed the 2016 campaign with a win against Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl.

Since the season ended, Hopson hired former East Texas Baptist head coach Scotty Walden to his staff, which helps account for the Golden Eagles’ explosion of interest in East Texas.

USM coaches were on hand at a satellite camp held at ETBU's campus in Marshall earlier this week.

Hood, like all college football targets entering their junior year of high school, will first become eligible to sign with any Division I school that offers him in December of 2018.

2019 East Texas Football Players With Division I FBS Offers

• Jade Ashalintubbi, Elysian Fields, OL, 6-6, 331 —offers from Tulsa, ULM (2)
• Chance Billington, John Tyler, OL, 6-3, 201 — offer from SMU (1)
• Keontae Burns, Pittsburg, WR, 6-3, 182 — offers from Iowa State, North Texas, SMU, Southern Miss (4)
• Coltin Clack, Texas High, QB, 6-3, 202 — offers from Florida Atlantic, SMU, Southern Miss (3)
• Christian Hood, Marshall, OL, 6-2, 290 -- offer from Southern Miss (1)
• T.Q. Jackson, Jefferson, WR, 6-2, 175 — offer from SMU (1)
• Keivie Rose, Henderson, DE, 6-4, 220 — offers from Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, SMU, Southern Miss, Tulane (5)
• Carl Williams, Lufkin, DT, 6-3, 275 — offers from Oklahoma, SMU, TCU, Tulsa (4)
• Marcus Williams, Longview, OL, 6-6, 250 — offer from Southern Miss (1)