HATTIESBURG, Miss. - There is more than one way to earn a coach's trust during fall camp.
For Southern Miss defensive back Champ Lewis, it meant responding to a challenge from first-year Golden Eagles head coach Blake Anderson , who admittedly wasn't pleased with what he saw earlier in the offseason. For Kobi Albert, it has been a slightly different path, as he's stacked months of consistency and leadership day after day.
Midway through fall camp , both approaches have produced the same result: Anderson likes the direction two important pieces of the secondary are heading.
Southern Miss defensive back Champ Lewis in action during fall camp. | Southern Miss Athletics
Lewis' progression might be the more interesting of the two. Anderson said he thought the redshirt-junior defensive back transfer from Tulsa became "a little comfortable" toward the end of spring practices, and when that carried over into OTAs, the coaching staff made sure he knew it.
"It's been good," Anderson said of Lewis' fall camp progression. "I wasn't real pleased with him during the OTAs, to be truthful. I thought he had a good solid early spring. Not so good toward the end. He got a little comfortable. That kinda carried over into OTAs, and we challenged him a little bit, and he's responded well."
Lewis, who we project to be one of the starting cornerbacks this season, saw his name get moved down on the depth chart following that challenge. Now, though, he's on the same page with Anderson and having a productive fall camp.
"I mean, we challenged him," Anderson said, "and slid him down the depth chart. And pretty much told him, 'The way you're doing things isn't going to get you what you want.' He could've pouted about it. He didn't. He really has worked to give us what we want, and I think he's been solid during [fall] camp."
The 6-0, 185-pound New Orleans native appeared in all 12 games for Tulsa last season, recording 16 tackles (nine solo) and one pass breakup. Judging from what we've seen throughout fall camp so far, those pass breakup numbers should increase exponentially for Lewis this season. He has the talent and potential to be an impact player for the Golden Eagles' defense as long as he stays consistent in giving 100 percent effort.
Southern Miss defensive back Kobi Albert (22) scoops up the ball during a spring game at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Saturday, April 18, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Albert hasn't needed the same kind of push, and even though Anderson admits the 5-11, 175-pound transfer from UConn might not be the fastest or strongest defensive back on the team, he has been making up for it in other areas.
"Super high football IQ. Super consistent work ethic. Leader, natural leader. Everybody gravitates towards him," Anderson said of Albert.
"Physically, has a lot of tools. I don't know that he's the fastest or strongest or longest, but when you put it all together, the intangibles and how he goes about things, he's been really, really solid, and he has emerged as a very dependable leader in a room and in a space that really needs that.
"He's a guy that killed it all summer, and he's shown up really doing the same thing in practice every day. So I've been really pleased with what he's bringing to us."
With a huge first fall camp scrimmage coming on Saturday , Anderson and his staff are starting to identify the players they can count on the most. Although starters haven't been determined yet, the defensive back room has several players who will contribute, regardless of who starts. Lewis and Albert appear to be two guys we could hear about often this season. Stay tuned to Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI for more fall camp coverage heading into Thursday.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as Two Different Paths: Southern Miss DBs Champ Lewis, Kobi Albert Standing Out in Fall Camp .
