Breaking Down the Current State of Southern Miss Football, Basketball and Baseball

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Overall, it's a great time to be a fan of Southern Miss athletics, especially when it comes to the "big three" sports we cover most here at Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI: football, baseball and basketball.

On the latest episode of the Nasty Bunch & Beyond podcast, we take a look at what's been going on with each of those three programs lately. You can read about the topics we discussed below, and then watch the entire episode at the end of this article.

Getting Ready for USM Football Season

USM football, David Aboya, Grant Page, Davis Dalton — Southern Miss freshman receiver David Aboya (right) with redshirt-senior receivers and mentors, Grant Page (middle) and Davis Dalton (left). | Southern Miss Athletics

The football program is starting an exciting new era under first-year head coach Blake Anderson. With that being said, though, what should fans' realistic expectations be heading into the 2026 season, given the fact that Coach Anderson is working with a completely new "made-from-scratch" roster? Can the culture the coaching staff has begun implementing help accelerate this team's chemistry?

We discuss all of that while also previewing some USM football content that's coming later this week.

Big Things Coming for USM Basketball?

USM Isaac Taveras — Isaac Taveras led the Golden Eagles with 32 points in a Sun Belt Conference tournament semifinal loss to Troy in March. | @SouthernMissMBB

Hype continues to build for the men's basketball program, as head coach Jay Ladner and his staff have worked their tails off to assemble a roster with a great mix of athleticism, speed, size, and skill. We are currently working on individual breakdowns of every player on the roster at Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. Player profiles on Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt, Mike Montano, Anthony Igiede, and Cam Wallace are already out, and more are on the way.

Between the talented new collection of players on the men's basketball team for the 2026-27 season, the return of star guard Isaac Taveras, and the ongoing renovations at Reed Green Coliseum, there's a lot for USM hoops fans to be excited about.

USM Baseball Continues to Build Back Stronger

USM, USA, Camden Sunstrom, Grayden Harris, Camden Clark — Mandi Harris

For the baseball program, the storied tradition of excellence appears to be well intact. The team posted yet another perfect transfer portal cycle in retaining its most impactful contributors who hadn't graduated, while also bringing in several key transfers expected to make an immediate impact. Not to mention, Southern Miss baseball has one of the most talented freshman classes it's ever had coming for next season.

With all the new roster additions, retaining all of its elite pitching, and head coach Christian Ostrander making a couple of key coaching staff hires following the departure of Travis Creel, the baseball program should continue to succeed at a high level for the foreseeable future. Player profiles on Brady Waugh, Brock Clayton, Cade Baker, Drew Harrison and Cannon Peery are available, and more are on the way.

We also talk about the great honor it was for Southern Miss starting pitchers Grayden Harris, Camden Clark, and Camden Sunstrom to get to compete alongside each other at USA Baseball CNT training camp. Harris was officially named to the 2026 USA Baseball CNT 28-man roster and will compete in the World Collegiate Baseball Championship in Taiwan later this week.

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