The beefed up Southern Miss football depth chart is here. Here’s the breakdown.
We’re one step closer to Southern Miss football at The Rock.
Head coach Will Hall released the first official depth chart of the season on Wednesday. The two-deep is littered with youth, transfers and weathered veterans in every phase.
The fruits of the staff’s early recruiting efforts are also starting to show with 33 players on the chart who were recruited by Hall.
Here are some notes on who stands out and how the lineup stacks up against the Golden Eagles’ week one opponent, the Liberty Flames.
Surprise starters
The offensive side of the card mostly fell in order of what was expected. Ty Keyes and Frank Gore, Jr lead the way at quarterback and running back, the offensive line is full of familiar faces while Jason Brownlee and Jakarius Caston hold down the spots at outside receiver and slot receiver, respectively.
It’s the other outside receiver spot that comes as a bit of a surprise. Latreal “Frog” Jones, who was a bit banged up during camp, is going to be eased into FBS life as a backup to third-year redshirt freshman Brandon Hayes.
Hayes is a downfield threat that has greatly matured the mental aspect of his game over the offseason. He comes into the season with nine career receptions, but figures to be in line for a breakout campaign after beating out Jones in camp.
On the other side, Daylen Gill gets the call at the middle linebacker spot in place of the injured Hayes Maples. Gill won the job over Santrell Latham and Gulfport native T.Q. Newsome, though both will see the field regularly.
Gill is one of several transfers that won starting jobs within the front seven. Jalen Williams, Armondous Cooley and Quentin Bivens are all a part of the rotation up front.
Size up front
The Golden Eagles are beefy on the offensive line, especially on the left side. Anchored by 6-foot-5, 373-pound left tackle Tykeem Doss, the front five averages 329.6 lbs.
Right tackle Paul Gainer, at 290 lbs, is the only starter under the 300 mark. Size does not mean everything, though, and it sure didn’t for last year’s squad which opened the season with an average O-line weight of 333.8 lbs. But it is extremely beneficial to have it on your side.
It’s also significantly bigger than what the Flames will be fielding, a group with an average weight that comes to 311 lbs.
Briason Mays is 17 pounds heavier and is starting the season at center where he’s been the focal point of the praise Hall has had for the line this offseason.
It should also be noted the size goes deeper than before. The second string lineman are up to 314 lbs from 288.8 lbs at the beginning of 2021.
Newcomers Bryce Ramsey, Calvin McMillian and true freshman Kyron Barnes all appear on the two-deep, instantly improving both depth and size.
Big week for -OR-
-OR- is not only popping up on depth charts across the country, but it’s also making a name for itself on the USM lineup, as well.
The denotation appears 12 times on the chart and four times next to starters. It represents what is basically a near-tie between two players. If it appears between two starters, that usually means both players will split time.
It’s also a sign of depth when a coaching staff feels it has multiple starters at a single position. That’s the case for the defensive line, where coordinator Austin Armstrong has a reloaded group.
All three positions have the -OR- between them, meaning six different players are going to see plenty of playing time. The aforementioned Williams, Cooley and Bivens are all in that group.
Returning linemen Josh Ratcliff and Kristin Booth are in the mix, as is junior college transfer Brodarius Lewis. It’s a mixed bag of talent that will be facing an immediate test in a Liberty offensive line that returns 82 career starts among its starters.
Other key positions with the -OR- is at quarterback and running back. True freshman Zach Wilcke and Trey Lowe are even as the backup to Keyes. Behind Gore, Jr and though Hall mentioned Tuesday Janari Dean had solidified his spot as the backup, Dean and Dajon Richard are tied by the -OR-.
