2026 Southern Miss
1–5 (0–2 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Blake Anderson. The season’s Wikipedia article records 1–4, over five games to the six on file here. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Alcorn State 49–3Sep 5
By 46 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Tulane 21–24Sep 26
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs Alcorn State | W 49–3 | 75% |
| Sep 12 | at Auburn | L 8–43 | 34% |
| Sep 19 | vs UConn | L 20–48 | 48% |
| Sep 26 | at Tulane | L 21–24 | 22% |
| Oct 6 | at Troy | L 34–55 | 30% |
| Oct 17 | vs Arkansas State | L 13–23 | 49% |
| Oct 24 | vs Louisiana | Preview | 31% |
| Oct 31 | at UL Monroe | Preview | 56% |
| Nov 5 | vs James Madison | Preview | 13% |
| Nov 14 | at Louisiana Tech | Preview | 24% |
| Nov 21 | vs South Alabama | Preview | 37% |
| Nov 28 | at Old Dominion | Preview | 27% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
- Record
- 1–5
- Conference
- 0–2 tied for 12th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP now
- Unranked
- Points
- 145–196
- Coach
- Blake Anderson
- Elo
- 1354 −84 this season
- SP+ rating
- -18.3 No. 128 of 138; offense No. 104, defense No. 135, special teams No. 112
- SRS
- −17.4 No. 128 of 138 in FBS
- Returning
- 90% of last season’s EPA, No. 7 of 136
- Recruiting class
- No. 108 roster talent No. 94 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Kyle Cefalo
- Defensive coordinator
- Joe Bolden
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.05 | 38% | 1.24 | 122nd of 138 |
| Defense | 0.25 | 47% | 1.17 | 123rd of 138 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.05 off 0.22 def | 40% off 49% def | — | 108th off 131st def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 42% | 8.4 yds | 14% | 3.40 | 11% |
| Defense | 44% | 8.8 yds | 14% | 3.30 | 14% |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.5 | own 27 | 15% allowed |
| Defense | 3.5 | own 28 | 13% caused |
CORE rating -13.8, 123rd of 138 (offense -1.9, defense 11.9).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Landy Lyddy QB | 1,032 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Landy Lyddy QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Steven Robinson RB | 432 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Steven Robinson RB | 5 TD |
| Receiving yards | Mario Sanders II WR | 492 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Mario Sanders II WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Mathis Haygood LB | 54 tkl |
| Sacks | Jameer Lewis DL | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Kobi Albert DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2026 class
| Chauncey Davis Jr. CB | ★★★ | No. 804 |
| Caleb Triplett LB | ★★★ | No. 833 |
| Ari Slocum DL | ★★★ | No. 1114 |
| Hugh Price QB | ★★★ | No. 1358 |
| David Aboya WR | ★★★ | No. 1914 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2026 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.864 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.850 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.877 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.878 |
| Whole class | 10 | 3.0 | 0.856 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 112
The 2026 roster112 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2026 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 38
The 2026 portal Jonah Martinez CB | ★★★ | from  TCU |
 Will Smith DE | ★★★ | from  North Texas |
 A’mari Wilson DE | ★★★ | from  Campbell |
 Amari Wilson DE | ★★★ | from  Georgia Southern |
 Braden Cain OT | ★★★ | from  Texas Southern |
| Christian Young OL | ★★★ | from Emory & Henry |
 Jamarice Wilder RB | ★★★ | from  Louisville |
| Jaylen Himes WR | ★★★ | from Wingate |
 Jordan Pride S | ★★★ | from  Texas A&M |
 Jyaire Brown CB | ★★★ | from  UCF |
 Kelby Hampton CB | ★★★ | from  New Hampshire |
 Xavier McIver DL | ★★★ | from  East Carolina |
And 26 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 28
 Garrick Ponder DE | ★★★ | to  Baylor |
| Ian Foster S | ★★★ | to  Memphis |
| Chris Jones LB | ★★★ | to  Florida State |
| Guylijah Theodule CB | ★★★ | to  UAB |
| J.J. Hawkins DE | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jabari Ishmael DE | ★★★ | to Memphis |
| Mason Clinton DL | ★★★ | to  Florida |
| Tychaun Chapman WR | ★★★ | to Memphis |
| Corey Myrick S | ★★★ | to  Clemson |
| J’Mond Tapp DE | ★★★ | to Memphis |
| Michael Montgomery LB | ★★★ | to Memphis |
| Shane King TE | ★★★ | to  Arizona |
And 16 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2026 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Madison | 4–0 | 7–0 | |
| South Alabama | 2–0 | 4–2 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 2–0 | 4–2 | |
| Louisiana | 2–1 | 5–2 | |
| Georgia Southern | 2–1 | 3–4 | |
 Georgia State | 1–1 | 4–2 | |
 App State | 1–1 | 4–2 | |
| Troy | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
| Arkansas State | 1–2 | 3–4 | |
 Coastal Carolina | 1–2 | 2–5 | |
| Old Dominion | 1–3 | 2–5 | |
 Marshall | 0–2 | 3–3 | |
| Southern Miss | 0–2 | 1–5 | |
| UL Monroe | 0–2 | 0–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.