Southern Miss signs 21 football players on early signing day. Here’s the list.
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles begin the next era in Hattiesburg in earnest with head coach Will Hall’s first full signing class coming together this offseason.
The staff pulled in 21 signatures off the fax machine on Wednesday. Thanks to a one-year waiver from the NCAA, Southern Miss can sign up to 32 players during the full signing window.
An emphasis was placed on two areas with this class: defense and post-high school experience. The Golden Eagle defense was strong this past season, but is losing some key pieces. The staff worked to back-fill the roster with high school players and transfers from two and four-year colleges.
Of the 21 players signed, 11 came on defense, nine on offense and one on special teams. The class includes transfers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Memphis and seven from the junior college route.
Locking down the state of Mississippi was also important. Southern Miss signed 17 players from the homeland to the roster.
The full list of players who signed on Wednesday are below.
Cornerback Michael Caraway
Bassfield, Mississippi
Pear River Community College
One of the top junior college corners originally committed to USM on Nov. 15 and held firm after an unofficial visit to Tennessee. Caraway is the first signature of the day and will be one of several post-grad defensive players added to the mix.
LB Jalil Clemons
Starkville, Mississippi
Memphis University
Southern Miss is adding a transfer linebacker who already has 21 games of FBS experience. Clemons recorded 36 tackles and nine tackles for loss at Memphis and has three years of eligibility left.
LB Daylen Gill
Louisville, Mississippi
Ole Miss
In just five minutes time, the USM staff secured papers from two linebackers out of the transfer portal. Gill has played in 11 games across two seasons but should still have four years of eligibility left. The Golden Eagles are creating instant depth on defense.
LB Mario Wilbourn
Oxford, Mississippi
Lafayette High School
The first signee from the high school ranks arrives from SEC territory. A three star recruit who appeared in the Alabama-Mississippi All Star game, Wilbourn chose USM over South Alabama.
DL DeMeco Roland
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Hutchinson Community College
A recent commitment, Roland is the first player in the class from outside the borders of Mississippi to sign his papers. Roland has turned heads at the junior college level and was originally a Texas Tech commit. He’s garnered offers Arkansas, Syracuse and multiple Conference USA teams but chose the Golden Eagles.
WR Latreal Jones
Taylorsville, Mississippi
Pearl River Community College
The first offensive player in the class represents the sixth signature to come in. Jones is a highly sought after receiver who has been heavily recruited by Auburn. Jones is the top-ranked junior college in the country and projects to make an early impact at the next level.
OL Wil Saxton
Benton, Mississippi
Benton Academy
Another offensive signing, this time along the front line. Saxton has drawn the attention of many colleges with his great size. Saxton is the first high school offensive player in the class.
DL Brodarius Lewis
Prattville, Alabama
Jones College
From Alabama, Lewis played junior college ball at in-state Jones Community College. Lewis had been recruited by future Sun Belt mates Troy and Louisiana and will provide some depth along the defensive line upon his arrival.
Cornerback Markel McLaurin
Friendship, Ms
Jones College
McLaurin has worked his way back to Hattiesburg. The corner originally enrolled at USM in 2019 but spent just one season on the roster before hitting the portal. McLaurin held an offer from Charlotte coming out of junior college but chose to stay home.
Running back Kenyon Clay
Union, Mississippi
Union High School
Southern Miss has added a high school running back to its room with the addition of Clay. He’s got solid size at 6’1, 215 lbs and held offers from Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Tulane and several others.
QB Zach Wilcke
Hernando, Mississippi
Hernando High School
Hall has his high school quarterback in Wilcke, the top-ranked QB in the state. Wilcke is another AL-MS All Star game alum. Wilcke won’t be the only quarterback in the class, though, expect another out of the transfer portal in the coming months.
DL Iliyas Fuavai
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola Catholic
Southern Miss has dipped into the Florida Panhandle and the underrated fertile recruiting grounds of Pensacola to find a high school defensive lineman.
DL Jordyn Mahaffey
Foxworth, Mississippi
Jones College
The fence climbs higher around the state and especially around Jones CC. Southern Miss is locking down in-state talent and adds another body along the defensive line.
DL DJ Burgess
Oxford, Mississippi
Lafayette High School
Hall and staff double-dip into Lafayette to grab yet another defensive player. Burgess is the third straight defensive lineman to send in his papers to Hattiesburg. Burgess was a force his senior year, securing 5A Mr. Football after picking up 43 tackles for loss.
WR Davis Dalton
Madison, Mississippi
Madison Ridgeland
The first high school wide receiver of the class comes from Madison. Dalton was no stranger in the recruiting circle, securing about a dozen offers. He chose USM over Liberty, Memphis, Louisiana and others.
Safety Cameron Knox
New Albany, Mississippi
New Albany High School
Another defensive player and another member of the secondary arrives at USM. Knox received plenty of interest from regional Group of Five schools but has chosen stay close to home. He was a dual-side athlete at New Albany who drew interest at wide receiver, as well.
RB Janari Dean
Batesville, Mississippi
Mississippi State
The transfer portal brings another, this time an athlete from Mississippi State who will be switching from defensive back to running back at USM. Dean was a big name out of high school and received offers from several SEC schools. An injury hampered the start of his Bulldog career and he’ll look to find a new beginning in the Black and Gold.
ATH Tiaquelin Mims
Bay Minette, Alabama
Baldwin County High School
Hall has added a speedster from the Alabama gulf coast and another AL-MS All Star game alum. Mims received an offer from Western Kentucky, as well. Mims may be the fastest player in the class with an unofficial 4.39 40-yard dash time.
OL Kamron Barnes
Natchez
Adams County Christian
Size up front has been key for a staff attempting to create a quarterback-focused offense and they got another 300-pounder in Barnes. The in-state signee also had an offer from Louisiana.
OL Kyron Barnes
Natchez
Adams County Christian
Why have one when you could have both? Twins Kyron and Kamron are both heading to Hattiesburg to help beef up the offensive line. Kyron also received an offer from Louisiana but are both heading to USM, instead.
K/P Bryce Lofton
Sand Hill, Mississippi
Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Southern Miss will get some help in the kicking game with the addition of Lofton. The junior college product was named a First Team punter by jucoweekly.com.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 8:07 AM.
