No Days Off: Southern Miss Offense Enters Final Week of Fall Camp Still Competing

Southern Miss enters its final week of fall camp with key competitions still open and plenty of work left before the season opener on Sept. 5th.

Mario Sanders (#1), MJ Brown (#3), and Kanden Saunders (7) | Josh House

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss has officially reached the final week of fall camp, but the Golden Eagles are not letting up anytime soon. There are no scheduled off days this week as Southern Miss continues to work towards its Sept. 5 season opener against Alcorn State.

With classes not beginning until next week, offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo and his unit have another full week to focus on football before transitioning into a more traditional in-season schedule. For an offense still trying to answer several questions, that extra time matters.

Southern Miss OC Kyle Cefalo speaking to members of the media from Week 1 of Fall Camp. | Josh House

Following Monday’s practice, Cefalo met with the media and discussed what stood out after reviewing the film from Saturday’s scrimmage, the latest on the quarterback competition, and where the offense still needs to improve.

For Cefalo, one big bright spot from Saturday was simply how his group competed through a long scrimmage in the Mississippi heat.

“The biggest positive: the kids were fighting; the kids were battling,” Cefalo said. There were plenty of football positives as well. Southern Miss continued to get work in the running and run-pass option game, allowing the offensive line, tight ends, and running backs to continue building together. Cefalo also liked many of the decisions his quarterbacks made in the RPO game. But there was one thing he didn't like. The football hitting the ground.

“The first thing that’ll ever come out of my mouth as a negative is if you guys see us turn the ball over; that’s a negative,” Cefalo said. “I don’t care if we get 50 plays in a game or 130 plays in a scrimmage. We have to hold on to the football. We have to protect it. We can’t put the ball in harm’s way.” His message could not have been much simpler: "The ball doesn't belong on the ground."

Quarterback Competition Continues ... and Avoids Potential Disaster

QB's Hugh Price (15), Ethan Hampton (5), and John White (12) from this past Saturday's scrimage inside The Rock. | Josh House

The biggest question surrounding the Southern Miss offense remains unanswered. Who will be the starting quarterback? Ethan Hampton, Landry Lyddy, and John White entered Saturday continuing to compete for the job, but Hampton’s scrimmage ended much earlier than expected when he went out during the opening drive.

Cefalo said Monday that Hampton is considered day-to-day and that the Golden Eagles believe they avoided anything serious. “Hopefully he’s back soon,” Cefalo said. “I think we avoided anything serious, which is fantastic for that young man because he’s put in a ton of work and he deserves to be in this race.” With Hampton unable to continue, Lyddy and White were forced to take more snaps than originally planned.

QB John White at Fall Camp. | Josh House

That gave Cefalo another extended look at both quarterbacks, and while there were positives, each had a moment where the football was put in danger. “We can’t be late. We can’t be indecisive, and they always have the right to check the football down,” Cefalo said. Those are mistakes that have to be cleaned up, but Cefalo continues to like what he has seen from the room as a whole.“Proud of John, proud of Landry,” Cefalo said.

And if anyone is waiting for Southern Miss to hurry up and name a starter, Cefalo does not appear interested in rushing the decision. “Everyone keeps talking about the quarterback battle, and if it was an easy decision, the decision would have already been made,” Cefalo said. “They’re still all doing a great job.” That competition could continue all the way into game week.

Finding The Five Up Front

Southern Miss' offensive line running through drills at fall camp. | Josh House

Quarterback is not the only position where Southern Miss is still searching for answers. The Golden Eagles have continued mixing and matching combinations along the offensive line throughout camp. Ideally, Cefalo would like to eventually settle on a starting five and allow that group to build chemistry, but right now, there is still value in keeping the competition open.

Especially with another week of camp available. “Eventually we’ve got to start moving forward,” Cefalo said. “Who are the five most trustworthy? And, hey, it might be six, it might be seven.” That word, trust, continues to come up when Cefalo talks about his offense.

Being part of the first group is not simply about talent. Whoever earns those spots has to prove he can be trusted when it matters. “If you’re out there with the first group, it was earned,” Cefalo said. “It was earned through hard work. It was earned through trust, and it was earned through doing the right thing more often than not.”

The competition up front has also changed following the medical retirement of Brock Roman, which head coach Blake Anderson announced Saturday. Cefalo said the decision was one Roman had to make with his future in mind. “For someone that’s played that much football and has had that much experience and has the career that he’s had, honestly, you’ve just got to respect his decision and kind of wish him well,” Cefalo said.

Southern Miss offensive lineman Aloali'i Maui (#62) was a key part of the Golden Eagles' offense in 2025. | Southern Miss Athletics

Southern Miss has since added more experience back into the room with the returns of Greg Nunnery Jr. and Aloali'i Maui. Cefalo has plenty of familiarity with Maui, who started for him at Utah State in 2023 and 2024 before starting for Southern Miss last season. Both players, however, have some catching up to do after missing spring, and summer workouts. Nunnery arrived first and is further along in that process, while Maui is still working through the steps necessary to get fully cleared and back on the field.

Their experience should help, but Cefalo made it clear that neither will simply walk back into a starting role. “They have to earn their way back,” Cefalo said. “But they’re going to get an opportunity to compete.”

More Options Continue To Emerge

Mario Sanders (#1), MJ Brown (#3), and Kanden Saunders (7) | Josh House

While Southern Miss continues searching for its starting five up front and its starting quarterback, Cefalo appears to have plenty of options developing at the skill positions. Jaylen Himes has been one of the more consistent players dating back to spring practice, while Mario Sanders continues to look more comfortable within the offense. For Sanders, the difference is beginning to show now that he is no longer simply trying to figure out where he is supposed to be. “Now you can tell that he’s figuring things out, and now he’s actually able to put his skill set with confidence on the field,” Cefalo said. The Golden Eagles are also working with a three-man rotation at tight end as well.

Southern Miss Fall Camp RB drills. | Josh House

There have also been opportunities for Southern Miss to develop more depth at running back. With Robert Briggs still limited and being held back some over the past few days, Steven Robinson and Jaylen Foster have received valuable additional reps. That may not be a bad thing.

Running back is one of the most physical positions on the field, whether it is carrying the football or stepping up in pass protection. Cefalo knows getting through an entire season will require more than one or two players. “We’re going to need four or five guys to get through this season,” Cefalo said.

Playing Faster

After watching Saturday’s scrimmage again, Cefalo found another area he wants his offense to improve this week. Get lined up and go. “The biggest thing for me is just getting lined up quickly,” Cefalo said. “We’ve got to chase the ball. We’ve got to see signals. If we’re huddling, we’ve got to break the huddle with urgency. We’ve got to get our feet set.” A dropped pass or a bad technique rep can be corrected in the meeting room or on the practice field. Cefalo believes that playing with urgency must become part of the entire offense's identity.

RB Brandon Hood running through drills before Southern Miss' scrimmage this past Saturday. | Josh House

Southern Miss wants the ability to change speeds and put pressure on opposing defenses. To do that, everyone has to understand how quickly the offense needs to operate. “We need to truly understand what this is going to take, how quickly we need to play, the ability to change speeds on the defense,” Cefalo said. That will be another focus as the Golden Eagles work toward their next scrimmage Saturday.

And even then, Cefalo is not promising that every competition will suddenly be over “Competitions might go into Week 1, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Cefalo said. “They might go into Week 2, Week 3. You never know what’s going to happen.”

For now, there is no reason to rush it. Southern Miss has one final week of fall camp before classes begin, and the Golden Eagles plan to use all of it. No off days. No slowing down. And, for several spots on this offense, no decisions just yet.

“Very rarely in life do you get time,” Cefalo said. “Right now, we’re going to take advantage of as much time as we can get to prepare, to train, to constantly build confidence and see how things shake out.”