Southern Miss HC Blake Anderson Ready to 'Start Building' with Updated Roster

Southern Miss might not have the best-ranked recruiting class in 2026, but it can still compete at a high level with Blake Anderson at the helm.

Blake Anderson speaks to the media after being announced as the new head football coach for the Golden Eagles at the Thad Cochran Center on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With National Signing Day in the books, the 2026 Southern Miss football roster has taken shape. Despite significant changes over the last few months, this is still a program looking to build momentum heading into the Spring.

The Golden Eagles had a combined 22 high school and junior college athletes sign with the program. Eighteen of those 22 players were three-star recruits. According to 247Sports, Southern Miss ranks No. 116 in the nation in recruiting.

Southern Miss has done slightly better in the transfer portal rankings, bringing in 38 transfers so far, including several three-star athletes and a couple of four-star athletes. The Golden Eagles have the No. 86 transfer portal class in the nation.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles wide receiver Tychaun Chapman (2) misses a pass during a college football game between Southern Miss and Troy at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On a surface level, these ranking numbers aren't great, but given what all has been thrown at first-year Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson's way, he and his staff have done a fine job of plugging leaks in the boat, so to speak.

"It's been true chaos," Anderson told Southern Miss Sideline Reporter Jason Baker when asked about being elevated to Head Coach after Charles Huff left for Memphis in December. Between graduation and the transfer portal, Southern Miss was left with a lot of roster spots to fill in a very short period of time, all while Anderson assembled his new coaching staff.

“We've tackled it as best we could," Anderson said. "But we've had to juggle a lot of things at once, and I think we've got ourselves to a point now where we've got a team moving forward. We can start building and getting ready. But at any given point, you were trying to tackle multiple problems at the same time as effectively as you possibly could at a championship level, which is saying a lot.”

Bill Davis 7, Louisianas Ragin Cajuns take on Southern Miss at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium in Lafayette, LA. Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. / SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now that the roster has been put together, Anderson and his team will begin getting to know one another as Spring football approaches.

“We're focusing right now on our roster, trying to get 60 new guys to know each other," Anderson said. "We got 60 new players from 21 states that we combined with 25 returners to make a roster, and they don't even know each other's names at this point. Like we're getting to know each other daily. We got a lot of new staff members that are getting to know each other. So that's where our primary focus is at.”

On the one hand, it never hurts to have a higher-ranked recruiting class, because that, in theory, increases your program's chances of achieving its goals sooner. On the other hand, though, how players develop throughout their collegiate careers won't be dictated solely by how many stars were attached to their names in high school, junior college, or heck, even the transfer portal.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles quarterback Braylon Braxton (1) looks to pass during a college football game between Southern Miss and Troy at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Troy defeated Southern Miss 28-18. / Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Last month, we all watched former two-star quarterback recruit Fernando Mendoza win the Heisman Trophy and a national championship with an Indiana program that, until last year, had the most losses in college football history. We also watched fellow Sun Belt school James Madison make it to the College Football Playoffs, even after losing head coach Curt Cignetti and several players to Indiana a few years ago.

This isn't to say the Golden Eagles will find that level of success in the near future, but at the very least, while having a head coach who has won everywhere he's been and has gotten the most out of his rosters, Southern Miss should still compete for a Sun Belt championship, no matter what the recruiting rankings say. It's possible, and that's exactly how Coach Anderson and the rest of his crew will approach the 2026 season.

You can watch Baker's entire interview with Anderson below:

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