‘Bigger Than One Season’: Southern Miss Challenges Young Core to Stay and Build Something Special

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – In a college football world where the transfer portal always seems to have a door propped open, Southern Miss quarterback John White never walked through it despite having to wait nearly three years to get his opportunity.

The redshirt sophomore arrived in Hattiesburg as a true freshman on a 2024 team that went 1-11. He stuck around through two coaching changes, appeared in just one game in 2025 and climbed from fourth string to a legitimate starting contender during spring practice, only to watch someone else take the first snap when the 2026 season opened. Instead of letting that get him down, he kept working.

Last Thursday, his number was finally called. White made his first start of the season against James Madison at The Rock, completing 22 of 35 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown without an interception, while adding a rushing score. Southern Miss fell 54-23 after a late first-half swing completely erased its momentum, and the Golden Eagles (3-6, 2-3 Sun Belt) now have to win out to reach a bowl game.

During Monday's press conference, head coach Blake Anderson, offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo and White himself spoke about what his journey represents, and what it could mean for a program that will need many guys to make the same choice he did this offseason.

Cefalo: 'It's Kind of Sad That That's a Rarity'

Southern Miss Footbal,l Kyle Cefalo — Southern Miss Football continued its first week of Fall Camp today here in Hattiesburg, MS. | Josh House

Cefalo believes a player who stays in one place, waits his turn, and earns the job through hard work has become the exception rather than the rule.

"It's kind of sad that that's a rarity, but it is what it is," Cefalo said. "That's just a kid sticking with the system, sticking with the school. It was John's first start for us, but at the end of the day, he's been in this system for two years, and those things show. Obviously, the game experience, it's hard to simulate that, so I hope he just keeps getting more confident out there and feels even more comfortable."

Being familiar with the system is why White looked so comfortable early on Thursday, when he completed 11 of his first 13 passes in the first half. Cefalo noted that White's performance wasn't perfect, but the decision-making stood out from the rest.

Southern Miss Football, John White — Southern Miss QB John White vs. JMU. | Josh House

"Every quarterback wants to hear that they're the starting quarterback after the spring," Cefalo said. "Every quarterback wants to hear they're the starting quarterback after the fall. Every quarterback wants to hear after the starter doesn't play great that, 'I'm up.' He's kind of heard the opposite for a long time, and now he finally got his opportunity, and you can tell that he's had the right attitude throughout the whole time, and that's why he was able to go out there and look like a confident quarterback. Not that he was mistake-free, but at the end of the day, he made a ton of great decisions."

Cefalo also said there's just something special about a guy who has been so rooted in the community finally working his way up to having an opportunity like this.

"It's a kid that's not only loyal to his coaches [and] to his teammates, but appears to be loyal to our university as well," Cefalo said. "I think that's pretty cool. I think it's got to be cool for a fan base to see a kid that's chosen to stay here. ... When a kid like that gets out there, there's people that are excited about that, and it's because he's worked for it, and he's chosen to stay."

Anderson: 'He Is a Rare Story, but a Success Story All the Same'

Southern Miss Football, Blake Anderson — Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson on the sideline during the Golden Eagles' 35-21 win over ULM. | Josh House

Blake Anderson has had a front-row seat to White's growth for two years now, first as Southern Miss' offensive coordinator in 2025 and now as its head coach. When asked how rare it is for a player like White to stay two or three years and wait his turn, Anderson agreed that it's a dying trait but not one he's ready to give up on.

"It is rare, unfortunately," Anderson said. "I think it's still needed, and I hope that more and more guys will take that approach [and] be a little bit more patient in this process. I know it's just been mass turnover. There's always something better. I hope more and more guys, especially in our building, will see and take that into account [and] watch what this guy's done."

Southern Miss Football — Steven Robinson had three first-half touchdown runs against Louisiana. | Josh House

Holding a 3-6 record, the Golden Eagles aren't where they had hoped to be when this season started. Anderson has talked a lot about how the learning curve with this group took longer than expected, but even with those growing pains, there have been several positives that have come from these last few months. He hopes his guys can look at that and realize what could be possible if they'll stick around and carry that momentum into next season.

"Working through hard things is still really important for these guys and for anybody, and not getting the immediate answer that you want," Anderson said. "We're all dealing with this right now. We're not getting the immediate answer that we want out of this season, but this is bigger than one season. This is a process [of] working through hard [things] and rebuilding and growing behind somebody else, waiting for my opportunity, being ready.

"That's still a very, very valuable lesson, and it makes you better."

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White Is Already Making His Pitch to the Locker Room

John White, Southern Miss Football — Southern Miss quarterback John White (12) celebrates with teammates following a quarterback keeper for a touchdown during the Golden Eagles’ matchup against James Madison at Renasant Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. | Josh House

The coaches aren't the only ones preaching patience, as White says he has already started talking to his teammates about running it back in 2027.

"I think it definitely is [valuable], and I've already started talking with guys that are on our team now that have eligibility left after this year about staying, because we've had a tough year," White said. "And the seniors, it is what it is with them. I love them. They've done a lot for us, and it's tough for them, because they might not get to be on a great football team next year or the year after that. But they've done a lot for us.

"They've helped us, and I'm talking with the young guys now and the guys that have one, two, three years left to see it through — to really look at the big picture of things and what we're building here, and really think about staying here and running it back next year."

That message might carry a little more weight coming from White than it would from almost anybody else on the roster, given that he isn't asking teammates to do something he hasn't done himself. He's living proof that the wait can pay off, and with two years of eligibility remaining after this season, he has every reason to want the guys around him to stick around, too.

"You do get better at playing football when you continuously play with the same teammates around you," Cefalo said. "When you play within the same system, you just get better at it. You get more confident with the scheme, the skill, the technique that you're being taught."

The Small Senior Class Was by Design

One silver lining from Anderson's first season as head coach in Hattiesburg is how few players Southern Miss stands to lose to graduation. After bringing in roughly 75 newcomers to rebuild the roster from scratch, Anderson says the light senior class was the plan all along.

"I'm hoping [for] a lot of the guys in our room. We have a chance to bring back a bunch of guys if they'll stay," Anderson said. "We only have a handful of seniors. It's a really small class. That was intentional. I didn't want to build it up with a bunch of seniors. I wanted guys to have an opportunity to grow in the system and learn and develop still.

"That's the way we're going to win here, is to develop. But that means guys have to stay and fight through when they're not getting exactly what they want, and I get [that] in this society, that's hard to come by. So he is a rare story, but a success story all the same, and I'm hoping he will be an encouragement to some of the guys that maybe don't have quite the role that they want to have, or maybe think that the grass is miraculously greener somewhere else."

Southern Miss Football, Steven Robinson — Southern Miss RB Steven Robinson celebrates a touchdown vs. JMU. | Josh House

As the Golden Eagles get ready to take on Louisiana Tech in Ruston this weekend in a must-win game for bowl eligibility, Anderson says the Bulldogs' roster retention is an example of what Southern Miss football is trying to do as well. Louisiana Tech brought back 62 returning players into 2026, and the result, so far, has been a 7-2 overall record and a 5-0 Sun Belt record during its first year in the league.

"It's going to be a big emphasis for us to retain as much of this roster [as we can]," Anderson said. "That's why Louisiana Tech is really good right now. They retained a tremendous amount of that roster, and [their head coach] Sonny [Cumbie] has done a great job developing guys that stayed, and that's who his best players are. We need to take a very similar approach, and hopefully we can, and he's a good example of that."

Still Work to Do in 2026 Before Full Focus Shifts to 2027

Southern Miss Football, Tulane Green Wave — Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs. Tulane Green Wave on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at Yulman Stadium. | Josh House

The 2027 roster won't be decided this week, but the final three games of 2026 could go a long way toward shaping how those conversations with certain players go in December. Southern Miss needs to win at Louisiana Tech, at home against South Alabama on Senior Day at The Rock, and at Old Dominion to become bowl eligible. That is a tall order, but one that would give White and the young core around him something real to believe and build on.

Whatever happens, the Golden Eagles already have their blueprint for what they want to do heading into year two of the Anderson era. This coaching staff will certainly work hard to fill in the gaps when and if that time comes, just like it did after Charles Huff left and took most of the Golden Eagles' roster with him to Memphis. But the hope is that more guys will see how much progress they've made in nine months and want to take it a step further next season.

Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech kick off Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more Southern Miss football coverage throughout Louisiana Tech week.

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