Joe Bolden, Dalton Williams Hired to Full-Time Football Coaching Staff
1/24/2025 3:42:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss football coach Charles Huff announced today the hiring of Joe Bolden as special teams coordinator and Dalton Williams as tight ends coach for the 2025 season.
Bolden comes to Southern Miss after working two seasons at Tulsa, coaching the JACKS position and serving as special teams coordinator. He added the responsibility of co-defensive run game coordinator during his second season.
Last fall, his kick return unit ranked No. 2 in average return yards at 28.44 per attempt. Bolden also coached first-team all-conference and second-team HERO Sports Group of Five All-American Ben Kopenski at the JACK position in 2023. Tulsa's special teams units ranked No. 25 nationally for punt returns and No. 43 for kick returns.
Bolden came to Tulsa following one season as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Nevada. In his one year, the Wolfpack ranked No. 36 nationally for blocked kicks and No. 40 for kick return defense in 2022.
Before his stint at Nevada, Bolden spent two seasons (2020-21) at Ohio State as a defensive quality control coach. In those two years, the Buckeyes played in the CFP championship game and the Rose Bowl.
Bolden began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Michigan, in 2016, before a brief stop at Florida Atlantic. He spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Washington State. In 2019, Bolden served as the special teams quality control analyst at Southern Cal.
He was a four-year letterwinner (2012-15) and three-year starter at Michigan, where he finished his career with 270 tackles and 18.5 tackles for loss from his linebacker position. He captained the 2015 Wolverine team as a senior and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as well. Bolden led the Wolverines with 83 tackles his senior season.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Bolden graduated from Michigan in 2015 with a degree in sports management.
Bolden and his wife, Kristen, have four children: Bodie, Blakely, Blaire and Barrett.
Williams starts his tenure at Southern Miss after helping Texas to the College Football Playoff semifinals in each of the last two seasons as an offensive analyst.
Before that, Williams worked as an offensive quality control coach at Marshall in 2022, after serving as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at Dean College in 2021.
Prior to his stint at Dean, Williams spent time at Coppell High School in Texas as the Pass Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach. He previously spent a year at Garden City Community College as the Passing Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach.
Williams also spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at West Virginia (2016-17) and as an offensive quality control coach at Arkon (2013-15).
His collegiate career playing quarterback at Stephen F. Austin before transferring to Akron. While playing for the Zips, Williams was the starting quarterback and amassed 25 touchdown passes and 3,387 passing yards. For his efforts, Williams received the Fred S. Sefton Award for outstanding offensive performance. Williams also signed a free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys following graduation.
Williams received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Economics from Stephen F. Austin in 2011 and a Master of Science in Education in Sports Science/Coaching from Akron in 2013.
Williams and his wife, Jordyn, have two children, Nina and Walker.
Bolden comes to Southern Miss after working two seasons at Tulsa, coaching the JACKS position and serving as special teams coordinator. He added the responsibility of co-defensive run game coordinator during his second season.
Last fall, his kick return unit ranked No. 2 in average return yards at 28.44 per attempt. Bolden also coached first-team all-conference and second-team HERO Sports Group of Five All-American Ben Kopenski at the JACK position in 2023. Tulsa's special teams units ranked No. 25 nationally for punt returns and No. 43 for kick returns.
Bolden came to Tulsa following one season as the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Nevada. In his one year, the Wolfpack ranked No. 36 nationally for blocked kicks and No. 40 for kick return defense in 2022.
Before his stint at Nevada, Bolden spent two seasons (2020-21) at Ohio State as a defensive quality control coach. In those two years, the Buckeyes played in the CFP championship game and the Rose Bowl.
Bolden began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Michigan, in 2016, before a brief stop at Florida Atlantic. He spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Washington State. In 2019, Bolden served as the special teams quality control analyst at Southern Cal.
He was a four-year letterwinner (2012-15) and three-year starter at Michigan, where he finished his career with 270 tackles and 18.5 tackles for loss from his linebacker position. He captained the 2015 Wolverine team as a senior and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as well. Bolden led the Wolverines with 83 tackles his senior season.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Bolden graduated from Michigan in 2015 with a degree in sports management.
Bolden and his wife, Kristen, have four children: Bodie, Blakely, Blaire and Barrett.
Williams starts his tenure at Southern Miss after helping Texas to the College Football Playoff semifinals in each of the last two seasons as an offensive analyst.
Before that, Williams worked as an offensive quality control coach at Marshall in 2022, after serving as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach at Dean College in 2021.
Prior to his stint at Dean, Williams spent time at Coppell High School in Texas as the Pass Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach. He previously spent a year at Garden City Community College as the Passing Game Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach.
Williams also spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at West Virginia (2016-17) and as an offensive quality control coach at Arkon (2013-15).
His collegiate career playing quarterback at Stephen F. Austin before transferring to Akron. While playing for the Zips, Williams was the starting quarterback and amassed 25 touchdown passes and 3,387 passing yards. For his efforts, Williams received the Fred S. Sefton Award for outstanding offensive performance. Williams also signed a free agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys following graduation.
Williams received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Economics from Stephen F. Austin in 2011 and a Master of Science in Education in Sports Science/Coaching from Akron in 2013.
Williams and his wife, Jordyn, have two children, Nina and Walker.
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