HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The first half of fall camp is largely about installing the basics and experimenting with different lineups to figure out exactly what you have. By the time a team reaches that midway point, though, some of those uncertainties start to become more clear.
That appears to be happening on the defensive side of the ball for Southern Miss.
With an important scrimmage approaching and the season opener moving closer by the day, defensive coordinator Joe Bolden is starting to figure out how all his pieces fit together. Some position groups have been reshaped by newcomers, others have benefited from community. Overall, the Golden Eagles defense is starting to develop the depth and versatility Bolden hoped to create when the roster was essentially built from scratch this offseason.
Following Wednesday's practice, Bolden offered his latest assessment on a cornerback room that has impressed him throughout camp, how three summer additions have enhanced the linebacker room, and how the unexpected return of defensive lineman Jameer Lewis will help the defense.
Southern Miss defensive coordinator Joe Bolden gives directions during Saturday's fall camp practice. | Josh House
Bolden has been pleased with how his cornerback room has developed throughout the offseason, and he gives a lot of credit to Southern Miss cornerbacks coach Taveze Calhoun for making that happen.
"Number one, with the situation at hand at the end of the year and the portal, we had a couple guys with the opportunity to leave. Some of them left, some of them stayed," Bolden said. "Obviously, it was important to me and Coach [Anderson] to keep Coach Calhoun here. I think he's one heck of a corners coach, one heck of a football coach in general. Really pours into those guys. And then he and our staff did a great job recruiting with both past relationships, but also developing those in a very short time of bringing a lot of new faces in."
There are several different defensive backs who have stood out during fall camp, but Bolden specifically pointed to Champ Lewis and Kobi Albert, two guys head coach Blake Anderson also praised earlier this week , as well as another newcomer in Hiroshi Carr and returnee from last year's squad, Ishmeal Ibraheem.
"Those guys really top to bottom in that room, they really feed off of each other. Hiro[shi Carr] does a great job. Unbelievably intelligent guy. Kobi [Albert]'s been playing at a high level. Champ [Lewis] has been playing at a high level," Bolden said. "And most of those guys have come from previous relationships. Ish[meal Ibraheem] was the one that we got to stay. He's really good. ... All in all, I think we're pretty deep right there, and I think it gives us the opportunity to really mix our coverages. ... I think they're football smart, they play with a lot of juice, and they welcome the challenge."
Being a defensive back at the Division I level comes with many intricacies, but Bolden says that with the help of Coach Calhoun and the mental toughness that this current DB room possesses, good things can happen.
"At times you got to be able to walk up and you got to be able to play press man and win. And having the ability to do that, but also get out in zone coverage and understand, 'hey, route combinations, where am I at? They do this, now I'm going to get to here.' All of those things, those guys have embraced really well, really top to bottom in that room."
Bolden isn't asking his guys to be perfect. He knows there will be times when things don't go their way. But when those times come, he wants them to bounce back from that adversity and focus on stacking "consistent little wins."
"They've performed well through camp," Bolden said. "But like I said the other day , I'm looking for consistent little wins. You're not going to win every snap in football. Unfortunately, that's not the case. But how do you respond to that? In DB at a high level, you have to have the mental toughness that's at an elite level. And I think a lot of those guys have that, and Coach Calhoun does a great job coaching those guys and getting those guys into position, both physically and mentally, to execute at a high level."
Southern Miss linebackers Tyler Lassiter (#2 left) and Avery Sledge (#33 right) look on during the first week of fall camp. | Josh House
The Golden Eagles linebacker room already had some intriguing talent, like returning redshirt-junior Mathis Haygood, who has become a leader in that group this offseason . However, Bolden still wanted to make a few more additions to give the room depth and the coaches more options to work with.
"It was really important to me, finding a linebacker room that takes the accountability and the leadership, but also has the football awareness and smarts. And I think also, to go with that, you want to add length and you want to add size. Big people win at the point of attack. Big people with the correct leverage win at the point of attack."
Bolden did just that by adding Tyler Lassiter (6-3, 230-pound redshirt-sophomore from Hutchinson CC), Mario Williams Jr. (6-1, 220-pound sophomore from Snow College) and Wesley Edison (6-3, 230-pound sophomore from Coffeyville CC). Although Bolden admits that those guys have a bit of raw talent that is still being refined throughout fall camp, he's thrilled with the progress being made both on and off the field.
"Those three guys we added post-spring have worked their rear end off in the weight room, have added value and created a great culture within the room, and also go out there and they just want to work. They're hungry to learn. They're hungry to play," Bolden said.
"We added three solid players right there to a group of solid players, and I think they elevated that room, and I think you guys, when you come out to practice, are seeing a completely different room in regards to that."
Bolden says the new linebacker additions are starting to get a better feel for how things are supposed to be done as fall camp rolls on. A lot of that has to do with him keeping his foot on the gas when it comes to coaching them.
"Another thing is they're starting to feel more comfortable with the calls. ... It's not my job to have a million calls. It's my job to get those guys executing calls at a high level," Bolden said. "So all in all, I'm very pleased with those guys. My foot's up their rear end more than you guys probably see, and because having the background at that position that I do, it's, 'you got to see this, you got to feel this, you got to have some instincts.'
"To me, some of those guys, Wes played quarterback, so he's got a little bit. But those guys, like I said, are hungry. Tyler's hungry. Mario's hungry. ... Those three guys are number one, phenomenal human beings, but great additions as football players to that room."
Southern Miss defensive lineman Jameer Lewis in action in the Golden Eagles' game against South Alabama on Nov. 22, 2026. | Russ Cloy
Arguably the biggest news of this week so far came on Monday, as Anderson announced the return of three key contributors from last year's team following a recent court ruling granting Class of 2022 athletes a fifth year of NCAA eligibility. Versatile defensive lineman Jameer Lewis was one of those players, and Bolden is excited about what it could mean for his defensive front.
"It was important [to bring him back]," Bolden said. "As a head coach, obviously, [Anderson has] built a culture and you've brought so many new guys in. Those guys start to adhere, embrace, and really exemplify that culture. And it was important to us that regardless of who it was [returning] that we were adding back into this program, that number one, they understand our culture and they're going to uphold our values. Number two, they're going to get into a room, and it's not to blow the chemistry of the room up. ... Can you hold yourself accountable [individually], but also as a unit? And what we wanted to do is add the right piece to the right spot and maybe create some depth, create some opportunity."
Although "regular good shape" and "football good shape" are two different things, Lewis appears to have stayed in good enough shape throughout the offseason that catching up to speed before the season starts shouldn't be an issue.
"Jameer, he's this Mississippi guy," Bolden said. "When we talked, he was back home, said he'd been hooping a lot, and he was going to work out. His uncle was taking him to work out. So Jameer's been a good add. Obviously, he's going through that acclimation period right now. So once he gets acclimated, we'll get him back into things, and hopefully he takes off right where he left off and he uplifts and only makes that room stronger."
There is still plenty to sort out before Southern Miss takes the field at The Rock for real in a few weeks, but Bolden's defense appears to be giving him more options by the day. The next test will be whether that growing depth, versatility and confidence can hold up as camp gets tougher, starting with Saturday's first scrimmage.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/southernmiss as Southern Miss Fall Camp Report: Joe Bolden Sees New Depth, Versatility Taking Shape on Defense .
