'The Epitome of What We Want': Kobi Albert's Hard Work Pays Off for Southern Miss

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – There was apparently some foreshadowing before Kobi Albert put together one of the best individual defensive performances Southern Miss has seen in quite some time.

Albert told running back Steven Robinson on Saturday morning what kind of day he was about to have. Then he went out and backed it up.

The redshirt-junior Southern Miss cornerback intercepted three passes in the Golden Eagles' 49-3 season-opening win over Alcorn State at Renasant Stadium, a performance that earned him Sun Belt Player of the Week honors.

For those watching from the stands, three interceptions might have seemed like a sudden breakout. Inside Southern Miss' locker room, though, head coach Blake Anderson says Albert's success was anything but unexpected.

'No Surprise' to Blake Anderson

Southern Miss Football — Southern Miss started off the Blake Anderson era with a resounding 49-3 win over Alcorn State. | Josh House

"Obviously, Kobi Albert had a great game, and that's honestly not a surprise," Anderson said. "He's been a great leader. He's one of the guys that stood up and just does everything right."

Anderson said Albert established himself as one of Southern Miss' most dependable players relatively early, not only because of how he performed on the field, but because of the way he carried himself everywhere else.

“Kobi has become one of the most consistent dudes in the entire building, and it happened pretty early," Anderson said. "He is one of those guys that is leading by both his work ethic, his actions on and off the field. His play is obviously at a really high level, tremendous amount of confidence. But he has bought in completely to our culture and what we’re trying to do, and is a mirror image of that."

Southern Miss Football, Kobi Albert — Southern Miss cornerback answers postgame questions with a big smile on his face after recording three interceptions in a 49-3 win over Alcorn State on Saturday. | Josh House

After Albert's second interception, Anderson said strength and conditioning coach Matt Shadeed pointed out that there wasn't much surprising about seeing Albert make those plays considering everything the staff had watched him do behind the scenes.

"[Matt Shadeed] said that it is no surprise that Kobi Albert is doing what he’s doing," Anderson said. "He is the epitome of what we want people to be in every area of our program. ... Three picks is a huge day. But a guy ready to play in a big moment and doing everything that he can to help us be better... Kobe Albert's as easy of a pick as anybody."

'He Told Me He Was Going To Do That'

Robinson, who had a hat-trick performance of his own with three rushing touchdowns, could hardly contain his reaction when asked about Albert's performance after Saturday's win.

“Oh my goodness… He was having a day. He balled out. It was crazy,” Robinson said. “He told me [Saturday] morning. He said he was going to do that. He told me [Saturday] morning he was going to do that.”

Calling your shot is one thing. Actually producing three interceptions a few hours later is something that will be talked about for a long time. Albert, however, didn't frame it as some kind of lucky feeling. To him, it came back to everything he had done before Saturday ever arrived.

“[It’s] just me trusting the work that I put in all offseason, over the past couple years, and just knowing that God got me,” Albert said. “I put in the work. That’s really all I can say. Just God continuing to be with me and guide me along the way. It’s just big.”

Albert spoke about how he's been at multiple stops during his college career without always getting the opportunities he wanted on the field. Saturday, those opportunities were finally there, and he made the most of them.

Southern Miss spent the offseason talking about building a new culture under Anderson, one centered around consistency and accountability. Albert's performance provided a perfect example of what that's supposed to look like once the bright lights come on.

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