Southern Miss Starting QB Candidate John White Explains How He Elevated His Game This Offseason

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – One week remains until Southern Miss begins an all-important fall camp that will determine a winner in its three-way starting quarterback competition. That three-man race includes experienced redshirt-seniors Ethan Hampton and Landry Lyddy, but redshirt-sophomore John White forged his way into the discussion after having a strong spring.

Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI recently caught up with White ahead of fall camp to discuss his improved strength and mechanics, playing with confidence, and the team continuing to build chemistry in a timely manner.

Back to the Basics

USM Football — USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After being the fourth-string quarterback on the Golden Eagles' depth chart last season, White knew he needed to make some changes this offseason in order to put himself in a better position. After pretty much living in the weight room and film room after last season ended, that hard work paid off in the spring, as White opened the coaching staff's eyes with his improvement.

"As far as improvement goes for my game, it has really been in two main areas," White said. "I took a lot of time over the last year to work on my arm strength. I worked with the strength staff nonstop to make sure my mobility in my hips, shoulders, and t-spine was where it needed to be. I also tweaked my throwing motion just a little bit to allow me to get more zip on the ball. This has allowed me to make throws all across the field this spring and summer."

During the spring, head coach Blake Anderson said that making throws across the field was one of White's biggest weaknesses last season. He even revealed that he told White last spring that he'd be playing FCS football soon if something didn't change. White took that to heart, made improvements, and now, according to Anderson, the West, Miss., native has the "it factor."

“Last spring, he needed a cut-off man to throw the ball to the far side of the field. And he knew it," Anderson said. "He knew he couldn’t make that throw. With what we do with our wide splits, that separates a ton of quarterbacks. He’s making that (throw) daily at this point. He did a great job in the offseason. His timing, his bottom-half technique, his power has been produced so much better.

“To where we ended up at the end of the season, man, he made light years. He’s got the it factor. He’s in the mix. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s the guy taking the snaps in the fall.”

Adjusting to Tweaked Offensive Philosophy

USM Football, Kyle Cefalo — Southern Miss offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo looks at a call sheet during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"The other aspect of my game I really focused on was perfecting Coach Anderson and Coach Cefalo’s offense," White said. "This has allowed me to play with a confidence that showed this spring and summer."

There are obviously some familiarities with the Golden Eagles' offense this year, considering that Anderson was the offensive coordinator under Charles Huff last season before getting the head coaching job, but the addition of new offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo is expected to add an uptick in speed and scoring.

"It is a lot of the same things as last year," White said, "but Coach Cefalo has brought some different things in that we weren’t doing last year. I think some of the things we are doing now will really help us this year. He has added his own small tweaks to different things that he has picked up along his way."

Looking to Finish the Preseason Strong

The Golden Eagles may not have the most high-end talent on paper, but there's something to be said for a group of guys who are playing with a chip on their shoulder. Will that translate into wins in 2026? We'll have to wait a little while to get the answer to that question, but in the meantime, this Southern Miss football team will continue grinding and making progress day by day.

"The team has had an awesome summer together," White said. "June and July are when your team really comes together, and I think we have done a great job of doing that. We are looking to close out the summer strong and head into fall camp with confidence."

There are a lot of doubters when it comes to the potential of Southern Miss football. From the national media and the Sun Belt Football Preseason Coaches Poll to Vegas having the Golden Eagles' over/under for wins at 3.5, there's not much belief that Anderson can turn a "start-from-scratch" roster into a winner.

However, there are several reasons to believe Southern Miss can exceed expectations in 2026, and whoever ends up winning the starting quarterback job will be one of the biggest. We'll be keeping a close eye on White as fall camp gets underway next week.

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