From new recruits to the QB situation, what to watch as Southern Miss begins spring practice
Southern Miss opens its second spring practice period under head coach Will Hall on Saturday at the start of a five-week schedule that culminates in the spring game on April 2.
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 3-9 season that ended in the team searching for resolutions to its depth problems.
Hall and staff brought in the second-ranked recruiting class in Conference USA. The class also ranks third in the Sun Belt behind Marshall and Arkansas State.
With a bevy of new talent and a year under the staff’s belt, there are plenty of storylines to follow over the next month.
Here are three things to keep an eye on as spring practice begins.
Heavy roster influx
In a typical year,before the early signing period and the transfer portal, teams would welcome in just a handful of early enrollees.
Those days are long gone. Southern Miss has a crowd of 26 players who joined the team in January and have been going through workouts.
Of the 26 players, 23 of them are transfers, with 14 coming from the junior college ranks and nine from four-year universities.
The injection of experienced talent creates instant competition across the board and gives the roster a significant boost in depth. This is especially true up front where the staff added 11 newcomers to the line of scrimmage.
Position battles will begin in earnest and will be focused on the defensive and offensive lines.
Beyond the big boys, this will be the staff’s first opportunity to work with a player who may be the biggest prize of the signing class: wide receiver Latreal Jones. Southern Miss sorely needed to find star wide out Jason Brownlee some help and they may have got it in Jones.
Coming from Pearl River Community College, Jones moved to Hattiesburg as the top-ranked JUCO wide receiver in the country. He chose USM over offers from Auburn, Utah, Louisiana and others.
Jones may be the most intriguing addition, but certainly not the only one worth following.
Battle on the line
There’s a beefy group coming to the line of scrimmage. Specifically, there is exactly 3,357 lbs being added to the offensive and defensive lines this spring.
The offensive line was among the most ineffective in the U.S. last season, allowing 44 sacks in just 12 games. The team also finished dead last in tackles for loss allowed per game with 8.75.
The first step to creating consistency is having an offensive line that will allow the offense to operate. There are four new linemen on campus who will help. Bryce Ramsey could be the big piece of the puzzle the Golden Eagles need to anchor the line.
From Gulfport, Ramsey is one of the few four-year transfers on the roster that actually has a significant amount of game experience. The 330-pounder has played in 21 games and appeared in 12 games last season for the Ole Miss Rebels, including one start at center.
Ramsey will be huge for the team’s depth up front and will have an opportunity claim a spot as a starter in the interior part of the line.
On the other side, seven defensive linemen join the “Nasty bunch,” a defense that played well above what the stats on paper suggest.
Ole Miss transfer Quentin Bivens gives USM a ton of size at defensive tackle from somebody who made his first career start last season for the Rebels.
He’s joined by Demeco Roland at defensive tackle as another massive body with playing experience. Roland recorded 8.5 tackles for loss in 22 games at the JUCO level.
Other newcomers to watch on defense are JUCO corner back Michael Caraway and outside linebacker Jalil Clemons, who transferred from Memphis.
Quarterback situation
The USM quarterback conundrum was well-documented last season. The Golden Eagles used more quarterbacks than anybody else in the country, leading to the creation of the popular super back formation with Frank Gore, Jr. behind center.
The star running back likely won’t be leaned on again to run the offense. Star freshman quarterback Ty Keyes should be working his way back onto the field after an injury ended his season early last year.
The quarterback development will be a focal point for fans, media and coaches alike. Hall had stated at the end of the season he was hoping to add a quarterback from the transfer portal. That has not come to fruition.
Hall also said on early signing day that 2021’s opening day starting quarterback Trey Lowe could be switching positions. With no quarterback transfer, that means the room becomes dangerously thin.
After Keyes, the room is filled by walk-ons and scout teamers. The only other returning scholarship quarterback of note, Tee Webb, was passed up in favor of walk-on Jake Lange when depth first became an issue last season.
There are two new quarterbacks being added to the room. Zach Wilke is one of three early enrollees from the high school ranks. He was Mississippi’s top quarterback prospect this cycle and should benefit greatly from an early start.
The other is Pass Christian native and walk-on Dustin Allison, who threw two touchdowns and eight interceptions at PRCC last season.
