Southern Miss football coach
Will Hall has invested heavily into in-state recruiting since being hired last December.
The former Tulane offensive coordinator and Mississippi native has 15 commitments in the 2022 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Twelve of them are in-state, giving Hall the most in-state known commitments of any Division 1 football program.
The Golden Eagles have the No. 2 ranked 2022 recruiting class in Conference USA after finishing 11th out of 13 last season.
Three Southern Miss commits were in action in Madison on Friday when Greenville Christian defeated Madison-Ridgeland Academy 58-32 in the opening week of the MAIS season.
Greenville Christian teammates
J.D. Stewart (linebacker) and
Chris Bell (wide receiver) got the the best of MRA wideout
Davis Dalton.
"They're my boys." Stewart said about his future teammates. "... Southern Miss, it feels like we are going to be together forever."
The trio committed to the Golden Eagles this summer.
“I feel like (Hall) is really going to turn the program around like he did with Tulane,” Dalton said. “He put them on top and got them back to where they should have been. I think Southern Miss is going to be the same way.”
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Dalton chose Southern Miss because of Hall’s strong ties to the state, along with wide receivers coach Desmond Lindsey.
Dalton, who also has offers from Jackson State, Louisiana and Memphisamong others, cites that Hall is well connected with the MRA coaching staff, as well.
Dalton finished the season opener with eight catches for 113 yards.
Bell countered with five catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound wideout received offers from Arkansas State, Grambling State and the Ragin’ Cajuns among others before committing to the Golden Eagles in June.
“(Southern Miss was) showing lots of love," Bell said, "and they are trying to get me to the NFL and my degree."
However, Bell was surprised when Stewart committed in July.
Stewart is the No. 24 recruit in the state and No. 85 linebacker in the country. The three-star recruit has offers from Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech and the Red Wolves among others. He had 11 tackles, including one for loss.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder is the highest ranked recruit in the class for the Golden Eagles.
“He’s from Mississippi,” Stewart said about Hall. “He came to me and wanted me really bad, and all the other coaches loved me, so I just came on with it and committed.”
Stewart felt that Hall’s ties to Mississippi and a prevalence of in-state talent would increase his bond with Southern Miss.
Dalton agreed and has confidence in Hall and says "(He will) be there for my whole college career."
So the senior wanted to be a part of Hall’s vision of in-state recruits changing the program.
“It shows that Mississippi is a powerhouse for football and other states kind of look down on it,” Dalton said about the 2022 class. “I think they’ll be able to turn it around and really display the state of Mississippi.”
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