Southern Miss Player Profile: Can Nasim Cairo Help Bring 'The Nasty Bunch' Back?

Southern Miss welcomed 38 new players through the transfer portal for the 2026 season. Among the 23 new members of the Golden Eagle defense is a senior defensive lineman who looks to extend his powerful career in Hattiesburg.

Southern Miss defensive lineman Nasim Cairo (#5) poses during a Golden Eagles' preseason photoshoot. | Southern Miss Athletics

"Nasty Bunch, Nasty Bunch, Naaasty Bunch. Nasty Bunch, Nasty Bunch, Naaasty Bunch."

That's a cheer that has echoed throughout The Rock for nearly 50 years, and rightfully so. Although Southern Miss has produced its fair share of well-known offensive players over the years, it has also been a prolific producer of defensive players, including Hanford Dixon, Adalius Thomas, and Jamie Collins, just to name a few.

But overall, the USM defense has slacked off in recent years compared to its glory days, allowing 30+ points in 29 games over the last five seasons. However, with an influx of defensive minds and talents from all over the country, Southern Miss is looking to bounce back from recent years and prove critics wrong in 2026. One new player who spent the first four years of his career putting up good numbers and leading Southeast Missouri State is defensive lineman Nasim Cairo. The big man made his way to Hattiesburg in the transfer portal over the offseason and became one of defensive coordinator Joe Bolden's defensive leaders throughout fall camp.

A Look at Nasim Cairo's College Career

Southeast Missouri State Redhawks defensive lineman Nasim Cairo (55) celebrates a turnover as North Alabama Lions face off with Southeast Missouri State Redhawks during the FCS Kickoff game at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks defeated North Alabama Lions 37-15. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Nasim Cairo started and played his first four years of college all at Southeast Missouri. His career started in 2022, tallying 25 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks, leading the Redhawks to an Ohio Valley Co-Championship and to the first round of the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs, falling to Montana in the first round. Cairo's sophomore season saw him play in eight games, including two starts. His stats that season dwindled somewhat from the previous season, as he racked up 13 tackles.

Cairo's 2024 junior season stood out among the first two, as he started all 13 of that season's games on the defensive line. He finished the season with 40 total tackles (13 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He also achieved a season-high seven tackles in SEMO's matchup against UT-Martin. The Redhawks finished the season with a Big South-OVC Co-Championship and once again fell in the first round of the FCS Playoff, this time to Illinois State.

The Redhawks finished 2025 at 4-8 overall, and Cairo's stats once again dwindled. He appeared in four games, finishing with 10 tackles (one solo) and one fumble recovery against Arkansas State. Nonetheless, Nasim Cairo finished his career before entering the transfer portal as a redshirt senior with 88 total tackles, 17 solo tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks.

How Will Nasim Cairo's Success Translate to Southern Miss?

Southern Miss defensive lineman Nasim Cairo (#5) going through fall camp drills. | Southern Miss Athletics

As fall camp rounded out, defensive coordinator Joe Bolden told Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI that "he's [Cairo] quick, he's explosive, he's violent at the point of attack..." And it has been no secret throughout camp that Cairo will start for the Golden Eagles in 2026. But how can his past energy and momentum at the FCS level translate to an FBS schedule against a Power 4 team and two 2025 CFP Playoff teams?

Better than you would think. For a player to come up to a higher level, though not the top of his own, and play all throughout camps and practices with coaches saying he is a for-sure starter, is sure to be a good deal greater. “Number one, it’s like [he’s] an Energizer bunny. I love seeing it,” Bolden said of Cairo during the second week of fall camp. “I can look at him right in the eyes, and he knows exactly what I’m thinking." If a coach can praise a player that well, it definitely means something is cooking strong for him.

Southern Miss football is slated to kick off the 2026 season against Alcorn State at Renasant Stadium on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. CT. Under the lights of The Rock, it will be interesting to see just how nasty Nasim Cairo will be with the 2026 Nasty Bunch.

"Nasty Nasim" ... has a good ring to it.