Southern Miss College Football Preview 2024: Key Players, Game Schedule, Season Predictions

Southern Miss College Football Preview 2024

Just when it seemed like Southern Miss was going to turn a corner …

Head coach Will Hall had his 3-9 rebuilding year in 2021, pulled off a great 7-6 season in 2022 with enough nice wins to make it seem like the Golden Eagles were ready to take off and be a contender in a loaded Sun Belt.

Instead, it all fizzled fast with the team’s third three-win season in four years.

But it's possible to turn this back around quickly as long as the defense can be far, far better.

There’s experience up front, the transfer portal is helping with the back seven, and it all needs to come together because the Sun Belt schedule is a giant bag of nasty.

The fan base is there. It will support even the slightest bit of success - there’s a history to draw from. Southern Miss was a regular on the bowl circuit from 1997 to 2011, but it’s been an up-and-down run ever since.

That’s fine, but this year has to be an up, and it starts by getting more pop from the …

Southern Miss Football Preview 2024: Offense

- So what went so wrong? The offense that had just enough good moments in 2022 to pull off a winning season wasn’t that much worse - it wasn’t that great in 2002. The problem was the defense - the O couldn’t do enough to keep up for the leaky D.

The offensive line struggled to keep defenses out of the backfield. While it was decent for the ground game, it had a rough time in pass protection. The front five isn't totally starting over—Gabe Cavazos is back at left tackle, but that's it.

The transfer portal is helping fill in the gaps, but it could take some time for the unit to gel.

- The backfield lost RB Frank Gore Jr. but it got one big upgrade. Tate Rodemaker was the main backup quarterback at Florida State last season - stepping in late when Jordan Travis went down - and now he’s running the USM offense. As long as he’s hitting his passes - Golden Eagle quarterbacks hit just 52% of their throws - the O will get more.

Tiaquelin Mims is the main veteran receiver returning - he led the team with 39 catches - but the team needs Ole Miss transfer Larry Simmons and other players through the portal to be ready to go right away.

- Oh yeah … losing Gore hurts. He was the heart-and-soul type for the offense, running for 1,131 yards and ten scores last season. Chandler Pittman is a do-it-all type who needs the ball more, but Rodrigues Clark is a veteran back who averaged 5.6 yards per carry.

Southern Miss Football Preview 2024: Defense

- The defense wasn’t great in 2022, but it held teams to 24 points or fewer in seven of the last 11 games. Last year’s defense allowed 35 points or more seven times in the last 11 games, and gave up more than 40 six times.

USM was 1-9 when allowing more than 260 yards of total offense, and 2-0 when allowing that many or fewer. But …

- There’s just enough back up front to be better. The tackles are experienced and need to come up with big senior seasons. Jalen Williams and Brodarius Lewis are 300 pounders who can move. Kristin Booth has to shine on the end, but overall, as long as the line is holding up a bit, the linebackers will do the rest.

- Jalil Clemons is one of the most dangerous all-around edge rushing hybrids in the Sun Belt. He can work in a variety of ways in at an outside linebacker job, and he’ll be turned loose even more. Tre Pickney (Coastal Carolina) and Desmyn Baker (WKU) are coming in to take on starting linebacking roles right away.

Dylan Lawrence led the team with 78 tackles and now returns to a freelancing safety spot. MJ Daniels can play both corner and safety, and the staff will sort out the best combination in fall camp, aided by incoming transfers. Braxton Myers (Purdue) and JUCO transfer Jordan Johnson are expected to contribute immediately.

Key To The Southern Miss Football Season

Start completing passes again.
The Southern Miss passing game hasn’t hit 60% for a season since 2020, and last year was the worst season for its completion percentage since 2013.

USM wasn’t all that bad on third downs, and there were even some deep shots, but it was a struggle. The consistency wasn’t there for an offense that failed to hit more than 58% of its passes against any FBS team. So …

Southern Miss Key Player

Tate Rodemaker, QB Jr.
He wasn’t a superstar recruit for Florida State, but he was good enough see a little time here and there over the last four years as he grew into a key backup role. It wasn’t going to be his gig, DJ Uiagalelei came in, and now he’s at USM.

About that completion percentage thing - that hasn’t been Rodemaker. He has an arm, and he should spread the ball around fine, but he only hit 57% of his passes on his 118. He has to be a difference maker as the team’s top transfer for the offense. For the defense …

Southern Miss Football Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: Braxton Myers, DB Purdue
Talent-wise, he’s a huge get for the program. Will he work as a corner or a safety?

He didn’t see any time in West Lafayette, and now the 6-1, 205-pounder should be one USM’s most versatile playmakers over the next few years. He’s built like a safety, but he’ll likely be a big, physical corner who can erase a No. 1 target.

Top Transfer Out: Gerquan Scott, OG Sr.
The Southern Miss line could’ve used as many decent veterans as it could keep, and it lost a strong on. The 6-4, 330-pound Scott would’ve been the anchor for the line, but now he’ll be pushing for time on the Ole Miss front five.

Southern Miss Key Game

Arkansas State, Oct. 19
There’s a chance Southern Miss gels fast over the first half of the season and can make a push when the nasty part of the campaign kicks in. Even if the team is good it might not be favored in any of the last five games, so it really, really needs this home game.

Last year it lost in a fun 44-37 fight, but before that it won seven straight in the series going back to 1978.

10 Best Southern Miss Football Players

1. Jalil Clemons, LB Sr.
2. Tate Rodemaker, QB Jr.
3. Jalen Willams, DT Sr.
4. Rodrigues Clark, RB Sr.
5. Tiaquelin Mims, WR/KR Jr.
6. Desmyn Baker, LB Sr.
7. Brodarius Lewis, DT Sr.
8 Braxton Myers, CB RFr.
9. Andrew Stein, PK Sr.
10. Gabe Cavazos, OT Jr.

Southern Miss 2023 Fun Stats

- Touchdowns Scored: Opponents 56, Southern Miss 33

- 1st Quarter Scoring: Opponents 108, Southern Miss 68

- Time of Possession: Southern Miss 33:12, Opponents 26:48

Southern Miss Football 2024 Win Total Prediction: What to Expect This Season

The 2022 team that won seven games wasn’t a mirage. It managed to beat a great Tulane team, won a bowl game, and overall it was one of those teams that was on the right side of enough games to have been closer to a nine-win season than a three-win run.

Last year the defense stalled, and it was that three-win run. Worse yet, it wasn’t all that close in most of the losses - it’s not like it was a missed play here and there from being great.

This year there needs to be a bit of luck when things just click, and it has to come early.

Going to Jacksonville State is hardly a given win, and it stinks that the ULM game is on the road - those would be two likely wins in MM Roberts.

Missing Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, and most of the Sun Belt East helps, but the the second half of the season is frightening.

At James Madison, Marshall, at Texas State, South Alabama, at Troy. If USM is good enough to win at least two of those, it’ll go bowling.

Set The Southern Miss Win Total At … 4.5

Likely Wins: SE Louisiana

50/50 Games: Arkansas State, at Jacksonville State, Louisville, Marshall, South Alabama, at Texas State, at Troy

Likely Losses: at James Madison, Kentucky, at Troy, USF

2024 Southern Miss Football Schedule

Aug 31 at Kentucky
Sept 7 SE Louisiana
Sept 14 USF
Sept 21 at Jacksonville State
Sept 28 OPEN DATE
Oct 5 Louisiana
Oct 12 at ULM
Oct 19 Arkansas State
Oct 26 at James Madison
Nov 2 OPEN DATE
Nov 9 Marshall
Nov 16 at Texas State
Nov 23 South Alabama
Nov 30 at Troy

Missing: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Old Dominion