Five Reasons to Believe Southern Miss Can Exceed Expectations This Season

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Expectations across the board for Southern Miss football appear to be low entering the 2026 season. The Golden Eagles were picked near the bottom of the Sun Belt West Division in the Sun Belt Football Preseason Coaches Poll, have more than 75 newcomers on the roster, and are nearly 40 days away from the season opener without major positions being settled on the depth chart yet.

So, yes, there are plenty of legitimate questions surrounding this team and reasons to doubt. However, questions do not always have to be viewed negatively. They also represent opportunities for new standout players to emerge, new leaders to develop and a new identity to be established.

After taking the trip to New Orleans two weeks ago, listening to head coach Blake Anderson at the Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days, and following this program throughout the offseason, I believe there are five reasons Southern Miss could exceed expectations this football season.

Reason No. 1: Winning Starts At The Top

The Blake Anderson era begins in a game between Southern Miss Golden Eagles and Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl. December 23, 2025 (Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com) | Blake Anderson | Joe Harper Photography

The first reason begins at the top. Blake Anderson, although it's his first season as the Golden Eagles' head coach, has ample head-coaching experience at the DI level. He has won games, competed for championships, and guided programs through difficult situations before arriving at Southern Miss.

Anderson owns 74 career victories as a head coach. His teams have won conference championships and made nine bowl appearances. He also understands the Sun Belt after spending seven seasons at Arkansas State, helping the program win two conference championships.

That experience matters when taking over a roster with this much turnover. It would be easy for Anderson to use the number of newcomers, the lack of returning production, or Southern Miss’ position in the preseason polls as reasons to lower expectations. Instead, he has continued to talk about competing for a championship.

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

Anderson even acknowledged that he cast the only first-place vote for Southern Miss to win the West Division in the Sun Belt Football Preseason Coaches Poll. He understands how difficult that goal will be, but he is not interested in giving his team an excuse before the season begins.

“I only know one way: be the best you can be every day,” Anderson said. “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.”

None of that guarantees Southern Miss will win the division, but at the very least, it establishes the standard inside the building. This team has a coach who believes it can win, understands what winning requires, and is willing to challenge his players to reach beyond what others expect.

Reason No. 2: Ethan Hampton Has Already Beaten The Odds

USM Football, Ethan Hampton — Ethan Hampton celebrates with his teammates at Southern Miss' Spring Game. | Southern Miss Athletics

Southern Miss has not officially named its starting quarterback with a little over one month remaining until opening night at The Rock. Ethan Hampton, Landry Lyddy and John White will continue competing for the position during fall camp. Anderson has said the competition is extremely close and could eventually come down to leadership and which quarterback the rest of the team chooses to follow.

Still, Hampton gives this quarterback room something important: meaningful starting experience. Hampton started 10 games for Northern Illinois in 2024, passing for 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns. More importantly, he has already experienced what it feels like to enter a stadium where almost no one believes your team can win and leave with one of the biggest victories in program history. Hampton helped lead Northern Illinois to a massive 16-14 road victory over No. 5 Notre Dame. He threw for 198 yards and a touchdown in that game. That experience cannot be overlooked.

Southern Miss will enter several games this season as an underdog. Hampton has already been part of a team that ignored the predictions, remained composed in a difficult environment, and found a way to win. He also appears to understand that his previous accomplishments alone will not win him the job at Southern Miss. Hampton has spoken consistently about improvement, competition and the work still ahead.

“Every day is a consistent pursuit of getting better,” Hampton recently told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. “I think the offense has started to click a lot from the end of spring to where we’re at now in the middle of the summer.”

At quarterback, experience matters. Belief matters. Hampton brings both. The starting quarterback job is still up for grabs, but when the dust settles, I believe Hampton will be named the starter for opening night.

Reason No. 3: A Fresh Start For Everyone

Southern Miss Football | Three-Way Quarteback Battle | @SouthernMissFB

There is no way to discuss this Southern Miss team without addressing the massive roster turnover. The Golden Eagles have 75 newcomers. That creates legitimate concerns about chemistry, experience, and depth. This is not a team that can rely on years of familiarity or a large group of returning starters who already understand how to play together. That is the great unknown for this football season.

However, the positive side is that Southern Miss has brought together an entire roster of players who have something to prove. Some transferred from other DI programs in search of a larger role. Others arrived from junior colleges or lower levels of college football hoping to show they belong in the Sun Belt Conference. Many were overlooked, underrecruited, or searching for one final opportunity. That can be powerful when those individual motivations become one shared purpose.

“It adds fuel to the fire for sure,” Southern Miss linebacker Mathis Haygood recently told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI. “You don’t always want to pay attention to preseason expectations, because they really don’t matter, but it definitely has to fuel the fire. It definitely allows the group to get something to put on a bulletin board: ‘This is where they’ve got us,’ and ‘This isn’t true about us.’ Let’s go out there and show them what we can do.”

Earlier in the offseason, Anderson spoke about attempting to take players from across the country and turn them into one team. In February, he explained that Southern Miss had brought together players from 21 states who were still learning each other’s names. Since then, Anderson has seen growth in more than one position group. During Sun Belt Football Media Days, he specifically praised the team’s overall attitude, work capacity and lack of entitlement.

“There’s nobody that can have this complacency of, ‘I’ve arrived,’ or, ‘I’m a preseason this,’ or, ‘I’m a starter,’” Anderson said. “Everybody is just going to work together.”

The number of newcomers could become Southern Miss’ greatest weakness if the team never develops chemistry. However, it could also become one of its greatest strengths, as the team has, by all accounts, already built quite a bit of chemistry from spring until now.

There are also very few established positions, which means everyone must compete at a high level. Everyone has been given a fresh start. Everyone has something to prove. As they say, "iron sharpens iron." If Anderson and his staff can turn 75-plus newcomers into one connected team, Southern Miss may have more talent and depth than the preseason projections suggest.

Reason No. 4: The Rock Getting Its Edge Back

Southern Miss fans understand the power of a true home-field advantage. We have watched Pete Taylor Park become one of the most difficult places to play in college baseball. There is something special about the atmosphere, the passion, and the belief surrounding Southern Miss baseball at home. The Rock can have that same kind of magic if fans make a decision to get behind Coach Anderson and this Golden Eagles football team this year.

M.M. Roberts Stadium has hosted some of the greatest moments in Southern Miss football history. It is a place built on tough football, passionate fans and hard-nosed defensive teams that made opponents uncomfortable from the opening kickoff.

Southern Miss football has long been associated with the "Nasty Bunch" era, which started in the 1970s under defensive coordinator Jim "Big Nasty" Carmody. It is more than a nickname. It represents a physical, aggressive and relentless defensive identity. I believe this coaching staff understands the importance of reviving and continuing that legacy.

With so many newcomers, Southern Miss may not be able to depend on experience early in the season. It can, however, play with effort, discipline and physicality. Those qualities do not require a roster filled with preseason awards. They require players who are willing to run to the football, communicate, tackle, and play for one another. Anderson has discussed finding an edge by developing players with chips on their shoulders; players who feel overlooked and are determined to prove people wrong.

When the Nasty Bunch is playing with energy and The Rock is full and loud, Southern Miss becomes a difficult team to handle. The home opener against Alcorn State will give this new team its first opportunity to establish that identity in front of the Black and Gold faithful.

The players are new, but the standard does not have to be. Play physical defense. Protect The Rock. Make opponents feel the history and tradition of Southern Miss football. That formula has worked before, and I believe this staff can begin bringing it back a lot sooner rather than later.

Reason No. 5: Why Not Us?

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 final reason is the simplest one. Why not Southern Miss? That does not mean ignoring reality. This roster is inexperienced. The quarterback position has not been settled. The depth chart remains a work in progress, and fall camp will be critical for determining what kind of team Southern Miss can become. But preseason predictions are not final results. They are merely opinions.

As Anderson explained, the most talented team on paper does not always win on the field. Sometimes the team that wins is the one that stays together, overcomes adversity and finds a way when things do not go according to plan.

“You’re always looking for something that gives you an edge, something that makes you different,” Anderson said. For Southern Miss, that edge could be the belief that has developed from being overlooked.

Anderson wants his players to embrace the fact that few people outside the program expect them to compete. Instead of running from the low expectations, he wants the Golden Eagles to use them.

“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,” Anderson said. “Let’s prove everybody wrong.”

Southern Miss may not have the largest NIL budget in the Sun Belt. It may not have the most returning production, the highest-rated transfer class, or the most preseason recognition, if any. But those things will not determine how connected this team becomes, how hard it plays, or how it responds when adversity arrives. No one knows exactly what Southern Miss will look like when it takes the field on September 5. Even Anderson has admitted that the team will continue discovering its identity throughout fall camp.

But, amid all the doubt and uncertainty, a sense of belief is growing inside the building.

“I think they’ll tell you,” Anderson said, “the energy in the building is, ‘Why not us? Why not right now?’” Southern Miss has exceeded expectations before. It has won with overlooked players, developed talent other programs missed, and built teams that were tougher and more connected than the opposition. It has won with overlooked players, developed talent other programs missed and built teams that were tougher and more connected than the opposition.

There are plenty of unknowns entering the 2026 season, but unknown does not automatically mean incapable. Maybe this team will need time to come together. Maybe it will experience some growing pains. But maybe, just maybe, 75 newcomers, a proven head coach, an experienced quarterback room, a renewed Nasty Bunch mentality, and a team filled with players carrying chips on their shoulders will create something special.

So, I'll leave you with three questions that I keep asking myself as we inch closer and closer to Saturday, September 5th: Why not Southern Miss? Why not this team? Why not right now?

Add us as a preferred source on Google