NEW ORLEANS — Will Hall has his reinforcements.
After operating in his first football season at Southern Miss with 62 scholarship players, Hall and the Golden Eagles will be up to the NCAA ceiling of 85 for Year Two, thanks to a sizable recruiting class, an influx of junior college talent and, crucially, 10 incoming transfers from Division I programs.
“We were like a 3A school playing a 6A schedule,” Hall said at Sun Belt Media Days on Wednesday.
“We’re excited about being fully funded and ready to roll with that.”
From that group of 10 transfer signees, Hall said he expects significant contribution across the board. Because the Golden Eagles went through last season with such a deprived roster, it’s unlikely the newcomers will find themselves buried at the bottom of a stacked depth chart.
The Golden Eagles added four defensive linemen out of the transfer portal, and Hall said each of those additions will have a significant part to play. Quentin Bivens joined the fold from Ole Miss, Jalil Clemons arrived from Memphis, and the duo of Armondous Cooley and Jalen Williams came from Mississippi State and Arkansas, respectively.
Hall also indicated that the Golden Eagles have “high hopes” for Ole Miss transfer Tylan Knight. Knight played in 47 games over four seasons with the Rebels, and will contribute in the secondary and on special teams, according to Hall.
Southern Miss also added some desperately needed contributors on the offensive line.
The Golden Eagles ranked 124th out of 130 FBS teams in pass-blocking efficiency last season, according to Pro Football Focus data. They were 128th in run-blocking efficiency, and the worst in Conference USA in both metrics.
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To address those problems, Hall brought in a new offensive line coach – Sam Gregg – as well as two transfers: Bryce Ramsey from Ole Miss and Calvin McMillian out of Mississippi State.
Hall also touted the depth in the running back room set to be provided by Mississippi State transfer Janari Dean, who will play in the backfield for the Golden Eagles after the Bulldogs elected to make him a safety.
“We told them from day one, ‘We’re not going to become you, so you’ve got to become us,'” Hall said. “And they have.”
Each of the 10 transfer incomings on the Golden Eagles’ roster this summer hails from Mississippi, and that was intentional on Hall’s part.
The head coach reiterated his desire to dominate the Southern Miss footprint, which he defines as Mississippi, lower Alabama, Southeast Louisiana and the Florida panhandle.
“All the portal kids we took were from that footprint,” Hall said. “So we felt like we knew them, we felt like we knew their high school, knew where they were from.”
Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at [email protected] or on Twitter @davideckert98.
