‘He looks good, doesn’t he?’ Southern Miss and its beefed up QB get rolling in fall camp
The first fall camp of the Will Hall era started Friday at Southern Miss, and the same upbeat attitude that permeated the spring seemed to spill over into August.
The first-year FBS head coach reinforced the theme that he is right where he is supposed to be at this point in his career.
“It felt as advertised,” Hall said of his first fall practice at USM. “I’ve been dreaming my whole life about being a D1 coach, and I’m doing it at a place with a rich and storied tradition. This place means so much to me and my family.
“It was great. It’s about coaching kids and staying positive. We’ll try to get a little better every day.”
There’s only so much to take away from a practice where players aren’t wearing pads, but one player who stood out just based on his appearance and smooth play was redshirt sophomore quarterback Trey Lowe III.
Lowe has clearly packed on muscle with biceps that look like those you’d see on a senior linebacker. The second-year transfer out of West Virginia was listed last season at 6-foot-2, 218 pounds, but he said Friday he was in the mid-230s.
Freshman Ty Keyes is a solid 6-2, 200 pounds, but it looked like a before-and-after picture when he and Lowe were standing side by side.
“(Lowe) looks good, doesn’t he?” Hall said with a smile. “He looks better than you and me, doesn’t he? Trey is up to 234 and he cut his body-fat percentage down. Trey wakes up every day on a mission to improve every day.
“He had a really good day today without watch the tape. He was great operating, great functioning. All the option stuff we’re doing, he looked good. He should be proud of the summer he had.”
Lowe said he worked on all areas of training in the weight room over the summer.
“I think getting my legs stronger was a big deal,” Lowe said. “I’m squatting 500-plus. It’s a good deal for me.”
Hall has made clear that Lowe has a distinct advantage over the two other quarterbacks in the mix — Keyes and freshman Louisville transfer Tee Webb. If Lowe continues to show progress as a passer during camp, the gap between him and the other quarterbacks will continue to grow.
Hall pointed out that Lowe’s experience of working under two different coaching staffs at West Virginia and now two at Southern Miss should work to his benefit.
“It’s a huge advantage,” Hall said. “I was that way. I played for my dad in high school. In junior college, I played in junior college for Scott Maxfield. At Murray State, we had two offensive coordinators and then I went to North Alabama. They are so many different ways to do things. He understands there’s a lot of different ways to skin a cat. He asks great questions and he wants to work hard.”
Racheem Boothe’s career is over at Southern Miss
Senior linebacker Racheem Boothe’s playing career is over after suffering a knee injury recently during summer workouts, and he will be working with the team as a student coach this season.
If healthy, Boothe likely would have been a key piece of the defense.
He had already been trying to make his way back from one knee injury, and then injured his other knee.
“It’s just a tough deal,” Hall said. “Boothe is Southern Miss. He has an unbelievable attitude. He attacks every day in a positive way. He’s a student coach and he’ll help us. I hope my two boys grow up to be like Racheem Boothe. He’s been a winner his whole life.
“Life’s not fair. It’s just not. You’ve got to take the circumstances we’re given and make the most out of it every day, and Racheem knows that. He’s dealing with terrible circumstances, but all he’s done is try to lift up others around him. Everybody that listens to this, you need to hire him.”
Frank Gore Jr. beefs up for USM
Lowe isn’t the only Golden Eagle who looked a little thicker on Friday.
Freshman running back Frank Gore Jr. has added about 9 pounds, and it was apparent he filled out his jersey better.
“I feel like I added all muscle,” Gore said. “I feel great. I’m more explosive, faster and quicker.”
Gore checks in now at about 5-8, 190 pounds.
Hinds Community College transfer Dajon Richard also beefed up this summer, and weighs around 205 pounds. He may be the most powerful running back the Golden Eagles have to work with this season.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 1:59 PM.
