Can Southern Miss open a pipeline to South Florida?
Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson is working for a strong finish on what is really his first recruiting class in Hattiesburg. Hopson was hired so late in the process last year that he really only had three scholarships to give once he was named head coach following the 2015 season.
One thing that has become clear is that under Hopson, Southern Miss will attempt to reap some talent from the fertile recruiting grounds in South Florida.
Southern Miss currently has two South Florida prospects on the board for the 2017 signing class in offensive lineman Woodlyson Alcius (North Miami Beach High) and quarterback Marcelo Rodriguez (Columbus High).
The Eagles have a number of offers out to other '17 prospects in the area but they're already focused on 2018 and beyond.
On Tuesday Southern Miss extended a offers to a number of prospects from Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, FL).
Southern Miss became the first offer for talented '18 pass catcher Marvin Alexander. It didn't take long for others to follow suit. East Carolina and Syracuse came in with offers on Wednesday.
The Eagles extended an offer to defensive lineman Davoan Hawkins who will likely be one of Miami-Dade's top prospects for 2018. Hawkins holds about a dozen FBS offers. The also offered Auburn RB commit Shaun Shivers
Southern Miss extended offers to a of trio '19 defensive backs in Te'Corey Couch and Keontra Smith and James Williams. Couch had previously picked up offers from Illinois, South Florida and Temple. Smith holds half a dozen offers from programs including Auburn and Louisville. Williams holds offers from Bowling Green and Temple in addition to Southern Miss.
It's yet to be seen if Southern Miss' efforts will open a steady stream of talent from Southern Florida to Hattiesburg but one thing is for certain, the effort from the coaching staff is certainly there.
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Lanny Mixon can be reached at BigGoldNation@yahoo.com and he can be heard each Mon-Thurs on the Pine Belt Sports Drive at 5:00 PM CST on NewsRadio98.1 WMXI-FM in Laurel/Hattiesburg.