1-on-1 With Blake Anderson: 'I'm a Little Bit of a Psycho' About Competing for Championships

NEW ORLEANS – Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson understands the magnitude of the challenge that's in front of him. With 75 newcomers on the roster and a historically proud football program entering a new era, many around the Sun Belt Conference and around the nation have tempered expectations for the Golden Eagles in 2026. Anderson, however, isn't interested in lowering the bar.

During an exclusive one-on-one interview with Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI on Wednesday at the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District, after Sun Belt Football Media Day press conferences had concluded, Anderson candidly described himself as "a little bit of a psycho" when it comes to expectations, making it clear that competing for championships remains the standard in Hattiesburg despite the unprecedented roster overhaul.

USM Blake Anderson — Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson taking some time to chat with Dalton Trigg / Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI at Sun Belt Football Media Day in New Orleans. | Josh House

“I’m a little bit of a psycho in that sense,” Anderson tells Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI when asked about how he balances having those high expectations with the challenges that are ahead. “I only know one way: be the best you can be every day. We know the result we want is to win a championship, and I’m not gonna give us excuses to say it’s ok to not get that done."

Although Anderson has the ultimate confidence in his players and coaching staff–he admitted during his media day press conference that he submitted the lone vote for Southern Miss to win the Sun Belt West Division in the Sun Belt Football Preseason Coaches Poll–he's not running from the fact that what he's trying to will into existence for his team won't be easy.

USM Sun Belt — The Sun Belt Conference championship belt was on display at Sun Belt Football Media Day in New Orleans. | Josh House

"Now I know that’s saying a lot," Anderson said of this year's team having championship goals. "There’s so many good teams in our league. There’s teams with tremendous, large roster money to spend and go out and acquire talent, and that’s not where we’re at. And yeah, we had to turn over more than anybody else, but who cares? The result, and the goals, and the things that you have to do to be good in this game, I’ve been saying for years: The most talented team on paper doesn’t always win on the field. We see that year in and year out. Sometimes (the paper) gets it right, but sometimes it’s the team that has the uncanny ability to overcome. We’ve seen it in every sport at every stage.

"Why not us? Why not this year?"

Preseason is the optimal time for optimism in college football. It's a time to instill belief, not only in the players and coaching staff, but also in the fan base. Southern Miss faithful have endured more disappointment than excitement over the last 15 years, but Anderson hopes everyone within and around this program will approach this season with a positive mindset.

"I want people to be realistic, but I want them to be excited about what’s possible," Anderson said. "I want our staff, our players, to expect that it’s our job to find a way. I’m not saying that we absolutely will. None of us know until we start playing other people. But if we have any other expectation on what we should be striving towards, then we’re wrong. I don’t need to coach if I don’t have any other thoughts in my head other than ‘find a way to get it done.’

"We’ll figure out what the problems are along the way, and we’ll deal with the roster, and two-deeps, all of that stuff in the process, but man, if I didn’t have in my mind, ‘we need to find a way to win it, and we can,’ then I’d be wasting my time, and my family’s time, and obviously the kids’ time."

When a team is lacking top-tier talent and experience, it has to find unique ways to gain an advantage. Anderson believes that channeling all the skepticism into extra motivation could be his team's calling card.

“You’re always looking for something that gives you an edge, something that makes you different," Anderson said. "One way to do that is to out-talent everybody, obviously–out-spend them, out-talent them, and then your job is to keep those guys all happy and going in the right direction. The other way is to find some guys with big chips on their shoulders that have this pissed-off, ‘I’m gonna prove you wrong’ mentality. We’ve seen that win time and time again in a bunch of different places.

"I want these guys to embrace that chip on their shoulder and the fact that they’re underappreciated by the world itself and the football world, to some degree, and let’s prove everybody wrong. So, maybe that’s what we tap into, and that’s our biggest asset."

The Golden Eagles have players on the roster who transferred in from other DI schools, but there are a handful who previously played at the lower levels, whether at DII or junior college. Although those players lack DI experience, Anderson has a track record of developing talent coming from all levels, so who's to say that can't happen this season?

"We’re inexperienced, but not so much completely in football. We’ve just got some guys that nobody knows about," Anderson said. "They’ve played. They’ve played at lower levels and played well. They still have some experience; they just don’t have experience in the Sun Belt. Can we transition that over and get it on the field in a really positive way?

"There’s a ton of different storylines, and maybe the most simple is just: nobody thinks we’re gonna be worth a crap, but we’re gonna prove you wrong. And maybe that’s what gets it done for this group.”

Whether Southern Miss ultimately exceeds expectations in 2026 remains to be seen, but Anderson made one thing abundantly clear in New Orleans: he isn't interested in using roster turnover, inexperience or outside skepticism as excuses. Instead, the first-year Golden Eagles head coach is embracing the challenge, believing his team's collective chip on its shoulder could become one of its greatest strengths – just like so many gritty Southern Miss football teams of the past.

With preseason projections placing Southern Miss near the bottom of the Sun Belt West Division, Anderson is betting that a motivated, overlooked roster can surprise people – and perhaps prove that "Why not us?" is more than just a slogan.

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