HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Aloali'i Maui, Jameer Lewis and Greg Nunnery Jr. have been given something they probably did not expect to have a few weeks ago: another opportunity to play college football at Southern Miss.
What they have not been given, though, is their old jobs back. At least not yet.
Thanks to the recent court ruling that opened the door for Class of 2022 athletes to receive a fifth year of eligibility, all three veterans are back with the Golden Eagles after initially appearing to have used up all their eligibility. Southern Miss head coach Blake Anderson was more than happy to welcome three familiar faces back to the program during a pivotal point in fall camp , but his message to them was clear: where they fit on this year's team will have to be earned.
Southern Miss defensive lineman Jameer Lewis in action in the Golden Eagles' game against South Alabama on Nov. 22, 2026. | Russ Cloy
"I would think if we can get everything done we need to get done by the end of the week, I'd like to think they're on kind of a normal schedule with us next week," Anderson said after Monday's practice. "Man, those guys are family. All have graduated, all had great attitudes last year. We're happy to have them back."
Right now, Anderson isn't as concerned about where Maui, Lewis and Nunnery will end up on the depth chart as he is about getting them physically ready enough to compete for a spot on it.
"[We need to] acclimate them, see how bad of shape they're in," Anderson said. "They haven't done anything in a while. Make sure we're very safe about how we fold them back in. Tell them very clearly, 'You might not play a snap. I have no idea. It's completely up to you. You may be a backup. You might be able to claw your way back in. It's completely up to you, and we'll see.' But I think safety is the first key. Get the physical, make sure they're healthy, acclimate them, and really evaluate them in terms of just how bad of shape they are, or maybe they're in better shape than we think."
Although we haven't gotten a look at Maui yet because he had a farther way to travel from Hawaii to get to Hattiesburg this week, Lewis and Nunnery appear to be in pretty good shape. Now, being in normal good shape and being in football shape are two completely different things, but still, it's good for Southern Miss to know those guys stayed ready.
"I think a win for us would be next Monday when we go back out, that they can just go in and do what everybody else in their group is doing, and then maybe towards by the end of the week, we'll have an idea of whether or not they really can play ball like everybody else, or are we still in the getting in shape phase? That may take a while."
Southern Miss offensive lineman Aloali'i Maui (#62) in action during the Golden Eagles' game against Troy on Nov. 29, 2026. | Russ Cloy
When the new NCAA eligibility news broke, there was immediate mutual interest between the players and the program. Before any of the three players committed to coming back, Anderson made sure they knew exactly what they were getting into.
"They were reaching out to guys, and we just made the phone calls, and we were very open with them: 'We'd love to have you back if you want to come, but under these parameters. So you need to think about this before you say yes.' And one of those being the NCAA could change their mind a month from now and say everybody's ineligible, they can't play," Anderson said.
Despite all the conditions attached to their return to Southern Miss, none of the three players hesitated. Instead, they quickly accepted the offer, grateful for the opportunity to don the Black and Gold one more time.
"Another [condition was], 'We don't have a bunch of money to spend to pay you. We're not paying you to come back. We'll be fair with you just like everybody else," Anderson said. "And you're behind, and you may not play. We may have out-recruited you, or maybe you're coming back because you want to be part of the team, you want to be part of the family. You have no expectations other than that.'
"And literally, it was bang, bang, bang, 'Coach, I'm coming. I'm ready. Let's go.' So I've been pleased, and just being around them, what little bit I have been with Greg and Jameer, they've been very grateful to be back and excited. ... I'm sure they think they're going to be starting every down. They know they've got to get to that point, but all three guys were really productive for us and helpful last year, and they were good dudes that worked hard."
Southern Miss offensive lineman Greg Nunnery Jr. in action during the 2025 season. | Southern Miss Athletics
Not only did Maui, Lewis and Nunnery all make impacts on the field last season, but they were good locker room and culture guys as well. Anderson believes that will make for an easy transition into this year's locker room, despite them entering just a few weeks before the season kicks off.
"Well, there's enough guys that know them from last year that I think that's helpful," Anderson said. "Also, two of them [were] on the same side of the ball as me all [last] year. We ran the offense the same way we run the program. They're not surprised by what I'm expecting of them. And Maui... I raised Maui. He was with me at Utah State. So if I'd have felt like there were attitude issues in any of the three, we would've said 'no.'"
Anderson also believes that even if all of these guys play just one down this season, it will be a win-win for both them and the program due to their character.
"I feel like they were hard workers. They were bought into the team [last year]," Anderson said. "They weren't perfect by any scenario. They made mistakes, but they were not selfish mistakes. They were just normal mistakes, and all of them are fixable. They all graduated. Did what they're supposed to in the classroom. They all three worked hard and practiced hard every day [offseason and in-season]. So I feel like it's a win-win for us. If they play a down, it's a win-win for us."
For Maui, Lewis and Nunnery, the rest of this week will be mostly about getting cleared, acclimated and caught up. For everyone else, Saturday's first major fall camp scrimmage represents one of the biggest evaluation points yet. By the time the Golden Eagles return to work next week and the three veterans begin settling into a more normal practice routine, Anderson should have a clearer picture of exactly what the expectations for those players will be going forward.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as Back at Southern Miss, but With No Guarantees: Anderson Lays Out Parameters for 3 Returnees .
