The school announced the hiring on Monday and, according to Alcorn State, Hopson will be the first White head football coach in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
"I don't see it as Black or White; we're purple and gold," Hopson said at a news conference on the Lorman campus.
Hopson, 43, replaces Melvin Spears, who was fired in February after going 2-8 in his only season.
Hopson resigned from Memphis' staff in September 2011. He also has coached at Marshall, Delta State, Southern Mississippi and Michigan.
