​Southern Miss football will be forced to lean on fresh faces in 2026 after losing a large portion of production from the 2025 season. Charles Huff spent one season in Hattiesburg, guiding the Golden Eagles to a 7-5 record in 2025, before accepting the head coaching job at Memphis and taking 17 Southern Miss players with him. In addition, 11 more players transferred elsewhere, leaving Blake Anderson, the program’s new head coach, with substantial work to do to rebuild the roster.
Entering 2026, Southern Miss ranks last in returning production, bringing back only about 22 percent of the team’s output from the previous year. Returning starters are scarce, with right guard Broderick Roman, kicker Creighton Wilbanks, and punter Reed Harradine the only players who will be back for the 2026 season.
To replenish the depleted roster, Southern Miss signed 38 transfers during the offseason, many of whom Anderson will rely on in his first full year as head coach. Among the incoming players who could make an immediate impact in 2026 are several who bring intriguing potential.
First, there is a 5-foot-10, 190-pound redshirt senior who spent the last two seasons at Illinois but appeared in only three games for the Fighting Illini, recording two receptions for 32 yards. This player arrived at Illinois in 2024 as the No. 45 junior college recruit in the nation after a standout year at Iowa Central Community College. During ICCC’s 2023 season, he led the NJCAA in receptions with 72 catches for 942 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he finished with over 100 receiving yards in five games, earning NJCAA All-American First Team honors in 2023. Although he didn’t break through the Illinois depth chart, his reliable hands and precise route running could help him stand out in offensive coordinator Kyle Cefalo’s system in 2026.
Another notable addition is a Mississippi high school product who drew attention in the 2023 Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen. The Pascagoula High School alumnus, a four-star recruit, originally chose Ole Miss over several big-name programs such as Mississippi State, Auburn, Florida State, and Miami. He redshirted in 2024 and appeared in four games in 2025, including the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Miami. With that opportunity behind him, he transferred 250 miles south to Hattiesburg, where the 6-foot-1, 265-pound redshirt sophomore will have a clear path to becoming a starter and a steady anchor on the Golden Eagles’ defensive line. The potential is palpable for him to make a substantial impact as a disruptor on the defensive front.
In the linebacking corps, two veterans figure to anchor the unit. Chris Jones and Michael Montgomery bring experience and leadership, forming the core of the defense as Southern Miss integrates the new talent around them. The duo’s presence should help stabilize the defense while the program continues to build its depth and scheme around younger players who will contribute immediately.
Overall, 2026 will be a year of adjustment for Southern Miss as the program transitions to Blake Anderson’s leadership with a roster that has been dramatically reshaped by transfers, departures, and a limited return of production. The path to competitiveness will hinge on how quickly these transfers adapt to the team’s system, how effectively the coaching staff develops the newcomers, and how the veterans step up to mentor the younger players. If the new faces can consistently perform at a high level and the defense finds cohesion, the Golden Eagles could steadily gain footing as they pursue sustained improvement in the seasons ahead.