Transfer WR Jaylen Himes: A Player Southern Miss Fans Should 'Get to Know Pretty Quick'

The Golden Eagles have several intriguing newcomers on the roster this year, but wide receiver transfer Jaylen Himes has quickly made a name for himself.

Southern Miss Athletics

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Although Southern Miss has a handful of new players on its roster this year, the wide receiver room is expected to be one of the team's strengths. The Golden Eagles have some experienced veterans in that room, like redshirt seniors Grant Page and Davis Dalton, but they also have some intriguing newcomers.

After the first day of fall camp on Tuesday morning, head coach Blake Anderson made it very clear that sophomore transfer receiver Jaylen Himes is a player Southern Miss fans need to pay attention to one month ahead of the season opener.

Putting the Sun Belt on Notice

Southern Miss Athletics

“He can play. There's no doubt we need him to have a great year. He's a surprise," Anderson said. "You bring a young guy from a lower level, you don't know exactly what that transition is going to look like. But for him ... he just picked up and played ball. I know he's not real, real big, but he plays big, plays above the rim, plays with and without the ball.

"I thought he looked great today for day one. He fatigued at the end, but everybody did, they were supposed to. If he can stay healthy, everybody in our league is going to know who he is. And that's a guy that our fan base needs to get to know pretty quick, I'd say.”

Making Up For Size With Versatility

Jaylen Himes (#9) standing behind Davis Dalton (#11) at Southern Miss' opening fall camp practice on Tuesday morning. | Josh House

Himes is a speedy, athletic receiver who played his freshman year at Wingate University in North Carolina. At 5-9, he's not the biggest guy on the field, as Anderson alluded to, but he uses his other physical gifts to make up for it. As for where exactly Himes will play on the field, he's versatile enough to play in multiple spots.

“We just want to see him everywhere," Anderson said. "I think we have a bunch of guys that are very versatile. There's a couple dudes that probably won't move a whole lot, but he's one that could play any of the spots. Mario [Sanders], Kaden [Saunders], AJ [Little], like a lot of those guys are so versatile that we would like it where defenses don't know exactly where people are going to be at times.

"That gives you a ton of versatility and makes you very difficult to scheme if indeed we put ourselves in a position where you got to try to double somebody or know where somebody's at. He gives us and some other guys do too, give us that ability.”

Prior Production That Speaks for Itself

Eric Lusk | NC Football News

During his freshman year at Wingate, Himes caught 66 passes for 1,174 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping the team achieve a 9-3 record. He recorded over 100 receiving yards in seven of those 12 games. No matter what level you're playing at, those kinds of numbers are impressive for a single season. Himes figures to be a major weapon for the Golden Eagles this year.

Although Himes will spend most of his time at one of the receiver spots, Anderson also said there's a chance that Himes could see some action in the backfield at times as well.

"Anytime you can get him the ball, however you can get him the ball," Anderson said. "There's several that are that way, but yes. He can run routes, he can stretch the field down, but clearly, you get the ball in his hands, he’s tough to get on the ground. ”

Southern Miss still has many ongoing position battles to iron out over the next few weeks as fall camp continues, but judging from an impressive start, it appears that Himes may be one of the few players who has already secured a starting spot, wherever that may end up being. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more fall camp coverage throughout these next three weeks.