The Biggest Puzzle in College Football: Can Blake Anderson Put All The Southern Miss Pieces Together?

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – I love thrifting with my family. You never know what you might find, and sometimes you walk away with something you did not even know you needed. But there is one thing I would never buy used: a puzzle. The reason is simple. Sooner or later, you will realize pieces are missing. Without every piece, you will never see the finished picture.

Putting together a puzzle of more than 70 new players and trying to build a competitive football team before the Sept. 5 opener against Alcorn State at The Rock has not been an easy task for first-year Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson. Some players arrived through the transfer portal from varying division levels. Others came from the high school ranks. A few key pieces were already here and are now stepping into bigger roles. Going through that process hasn't been ideal, but it was the hand Anderson was dealt, and he's planning to make the most of it.

To The Top — The back of a Southern Miss player’s helmet reads “To the Top” during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Southern Miss has spent a lot of time this offseason rebuilding its roster. Now comes the hard part: figuring out how it all fits together. Anderson knows this is not a typical rebuild.

“The thing that is probably the most unique and makes for the most difficult in our case is that of the 138 schools in the country, we are ranked 138 out of the 138 in terms of return production,” Anderson said during a recent appearance on Supertalk Mississippi's The Eagle Hour. “So just in terms of snaps on this roster, in this league, at this level, it’s by far the biggest rebuild for anybody in the country.”

Despite that reality, Anderson is not making excuses. “We just got to figure that out,” Anderson said. “Not an excuse, just the landscape that we’re dealing with. Our answer is, ‘Why not us?’ Let’s figure it out.”

With that being said, here are three things I will be watching as Southern Miss starts putting everything together in fall camp.

No. 1: Who Becomes The Starting QB?

This will be the biggest storyline throughout fall camp. Southern Miss has several quarterbacks competing for the job (Landry Lyddy, John White, and Ethan Hampton), and Anderson is not ready to name a starter until someone earns it.

“I think to some degree, you just know when you know,” Anderson said. “I will say, I think we’re getting closer there. It could be game week. It could be after the first scrimmage. I don’t think it’s something you can rush.”

The fact that the competition remains close does not appear to concern Anderson. He believes Southern Miss has multiple quarterbacks capable of winning games in his system.

“I feel very fortunate that we have a room that is competitive, and it’s hard to tell right now,” Anderson said. “That means it’s close, and I feel comfortable that any of those guys we can win with inside our system.”

Southern Miss quarterback Landry Lyddy (18) scrambles in the backfield during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

However, Anderson also made it clear that he would prefer to settle on one quarterback instead of rotating players in and out of the lineup. “I think one voice and one guy is ideal,” Anderson said.

The battle could continue through the first scrimmage and possibly into game week, but at some point, someone has to separate. Southern Miss does not just need a guy who can make the throws. It needs a player everyone else rallies around.

No. 2: How Quickly Can The Defense Come Together?

Southern Miss defensive back Kobi Albert (22) scoops up the ball during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The defense may be the biggest unknown on the roster. Southern Miss could have 11 new starters on the defensive side of the football, with several players being asked to take meaningful snaps at this level for the first time. Anderson pointed to linebacker as the position room that faced the biggest challenge over the summer.

“I really felt like the linebacker room really had the biggest challenge to grow up over the course of the summer,” Anderson said. “When you consider what we lost in that room, two of the most talented linebackers in the league to be replaced.”

Southern Miss defensive lineman A'mari Wilson (11) tackles the ball carrier during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Southern Miss added three linebackers after spring practice, giving the coaching staff more options entering camp. Anderson also praised the growth of Mathis Haygood and the rest of the room throughout the summer. Still, there is plenty left to figure out. “That’s probably the room defensively that I felt like needed just to make up the most room just because it’s so completely unknown,” Anderson said.

The questions don't stop at the linebacker position either. “But really just defense in general, you can have 11 new starters over there, and most guys that really haven’t ever played or played for us,” Anderson said. That lack of experience is why Southern Miss will include live tackling during fall camp.

Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson talks with players after a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“We will get some live tackling. We have to,” Anderson said. “We have to be limited with it. We obviously have to be smart about where it comes and when, and how much, but we just don’t have enough experience on our football team to not tackle some live.”

The challenge will be giving the defense the physical work it needs without losing important players to injury. On paper, the talent appears to be there. Now that group has to become one defense instead of 11 individual players.

No. 3: What Does This Southern Miss Team Do Best?

Southern Miss has spent months rebuilding this roster. Now the coaches have to figure out what kind of football team they actually have.

“We’re still learning what we are, who we are,” Anderson said. “And honestly, one of the biggest challenges is to find out what we’re good at.”

Anderson is not interested in forcing his system onto players who may not fit it. He wants to build around the strengths of this roster. “It doesn’t matter what our schemes look like, it matters what our players look like,” Anderson said. “And we’ve got to adapt to them. This is not about being hard-headed offense or defense.”

Southern Miss wide receiver M.J. Johnson (3) carries the ball to the end zone after a catch during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

That could determine how creative Southern Miss becomes offensively. Anderson believes the quarterbacks are capable of handling a larger playbook, but the entire group will determine how much the coaching staff can install. “I would like to think we’re going to be a little bit more diverse and creative and wide open than we were a year ago, but that’s just wishful thinking until we get into it,” Anderson said. “None of us are going to know.”

That is why August matters. Maybe this team is built to throw the ball around the field. Maybe it will have to lean on the running game. Maybe the defense develops faster than expected. Nobody knows yet. Over the next few weeks, Anderson and his staff will find out what this team does best and build around it. “Find out what we are good at, or if we’re not good at anything, what are we best at?” Anderson said. “And we've got to design and mold and build around that to give ourselves just a chance to compete.”

Now Comes The Hard Part

The roster has been rebuilt, the off-season work is almost finished, and now the pieces have to fit. Some players will find their place quickly. Others may need more time. A few could end up playing roles no one expected when camp began. That is what makes these next few weeks so important. Anderson does not need to have the entire puzzle completed by the end of fall camp either. Southern Miss will continue to learn, adjust, and improve once the season begins.

I still would not buy a used puzzle from a thrift store. You're fighting a losing battle if all the pieces aren't there. However, the Golden Eagles believe they spent the offseason collecting every piece they need to make this football season one to remember. Beginning this Tuesday, we'll start to find out if Blake Anderson can turn those pieces into a winning football team.

Make sure to keep Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI saved in your feed over the next few weeks as we bring you the latest news, practice observations, interviews and updates from fall camp as Southern Miss prepares for kickoff.

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