Fourth-year Southern Miss head coach Will Hall started his first week of fall camp to officially begin the 2024 campaign. Hall brings back a group that is hungry to silence the doubters in not only the team but him as well. He believes this year the team has “everything they need to win” as he dubbed it at 2024 Sun Belt Media Days.
The team began practice on Wednesday and practiced Wednesday and Thursday with just helmets before spending the last two days in pads. There are many questions surrounding this team, and many are still unanswered, but The Student Printz attempted to give all the answers we could glean from the first few days of camp.
Who won the first week of fall camp at QB?
The biggest question this fall is who will start at quarterback. It’s almost a seemingly normal question to ask during the Hall era each fall, which is a big reason why he hasn’t been able to glean success through the past three years with the keys to the program.
Hall brought in Tate Rodemaker from Flordia State over the offseason and returned Ethan Crawford who started a few games for Southern Miss last season. Hall also added John White from Madison Ridgeland Academy to the 2024 recruiting class, who was easily the biggest signee in that class.
While White has the potential to be great in his Southern Miss days, Hall has said that the race for the starting job is between Crawford and Rodemaker. So, who won the battle over the last four days?
The answer is: It’s hard to say.
The battle is so even because both quarterbacks present such a different element to their game. Rodemaker brings a more veteran, experienced presence to the offense. During practice, the offense seems like they are able to use him as the captain to run Chip Long’s sets and run them the way Long wants to run them.
He has the ability to scramble, which he has showcased throughout the last few days. Especially on Saturday. Rodemaker initially wanted to throw a fade route from the four-yard line to his left, but the defense had it covered. He calmly collected the ball, rolled out to his right, and found Larry Simmons sitting in the back of the end zone, delivering the ball while on his back foot.
Crawford brings a different aspect to the offense that makes him just as viable of a starter as Rodemaker: His legs. The way he can run and shake off defenders brings a whole different element to the offense that makes it so hard to guard.
When Crawford is running the read option with the ability to throw it over to Ti Mims, it’s almost unguardable, even with the talent and stamina of this defense.
There will be zero answer to this question until after the first scrimmage next Saturday.
Is the offensive line going to be better?
Now this is a question that can be answered: Yes! The offensive line has had arguably the best fall camp in the Hall era. Hall recognized the need within that room and he went out and added two nice pieces in Zach Conti, 6-6, 325 from Eastern Michigan, and Donate Lucas, 6-4, 322 from South Alabama.
The unit looks bigger and more physical than offensive line coach Sam Gregg has ever had.
Both quarterbacks, Tate Rodemaker and Ethan Crawford had plenty of time in the pocket to throw despite facing a full-strength pass rush.
Long has praised the way that the unit has looked and is still looking at certain positioning factors within the line.
“The ability is there,” Long said. “We just have to get in shape and get to playing together and communicating a little bit better. But the talent is there. I like the makeup of the group; we just got to get out there and get the pads on.”
So, the answer is yes, this unit should and will be much stronger than in years past and they have shown that in camp so far.
The wide receiver room has a ton of questions, who will answer them?
The wide receivers have been a room The Printz have followed very closely over the past couple of days to see who will emerge as one of the starters who can have a breakout season.
Outside of Ti Mims, there are all new faces in this room and fans will have to start to get to know them very quickly.
Two names that have stood out who aren’t Mims are Dannis Jackson and Larry Simmons.
Jackson, a Sumrall native who transferred from Missouri, has impressed with his speed and agility.
“We have a thing when we recruit transfers; we tell them ‘you will become us’,'” Hall said. “Dannis told me he wanted to come home, lift this university up, and matter again. He’s been committed from day one.”
Jackson echoed Hall’s sentiments, emphasizing his dedication to being a team player and leader.
Simmons, a Moss Point native who transferred from Ole Miss, has shown his ability to seemingly always be open for these quarterbacks. Especially on Saturday during the team’s red zone work and full eleven-on-eleven team drills.
“He’s one of the highlights of camp so far,” Hall said about Simmons.
Which under-the-radar player should USM fans start paying attention to?
Two answers here for the readers.
One is tight end Justyn Reed. Reed has looked spectacular during the first four days of camp and has wowed with his run blocking/pass pro but also his route running, catching and receiving. He is a strong linebacker at 6-5, 255 but runs like a wide receiver.
With the way that Long will run the offense and utilize the tight ends, look for him to have a big season.
“He’s been very impressive,” Long said. “Out of all the offensive guys, he’s probably the one that has stood out the most.”
The second is Armoundous Cooley. Cooley is a big-time recruit and transfer who is ready to make an impact after returning from an Achilles injury last fall.
He flies a little bit under the radar in the defensive line room because of Jalen Williams and Jalil Clemons but look for him to be a solid number three. His quickness off the snap and ability to get to the ball is impressive.
That’s all the answers for now, check back next week for more as well as the full breakdown from the scrimmage next week.
