For Kyle Cefalo, the move to Southern Miss was a no brainer.
It simply felt right.
After spending the previous season at University of California Berkeley football, Cefalo had options. But when Blake Anderson was named head coach at Southern Miss, the decision quickly became clear.
“It was very natural,” Cefalo said. “It was a very smooth transition.”
The familiarity between the two coaches played a major role. Cefalo and Anderson have spent years working together, building and evolving an offensive system that has consistently produced at a high level.
Now, Cefalo has the opportunity to run that system in full.
“For him to have the faith in me to run his offense and put that responsibility in my hands, it was super exciting,” Cefalo said.
But that excitement comes with a significant challenge. Like much of the roster, the Southern Miss offense has undergone a major overhaul, losing all of its skill players from a season ago along with most of the offensive line.
Cefalo shrugged when asked about that, viewing the change as the norm in college football.
“That is college football now,” he said. “I think any job you take, whenever it might be, that is just kind of the expectation now.”
Instead of viewing roster turnover as a disadvantage, Cefalo is working to turn it into an opportunity. Still, it is a difficult task, as players are learning a new system while others with experience try to separate themselves.
“Not only are they learning a new system, but very few kids have any familiarity,” Cefalo said. “A few guys stayed on, but most moved on. This transition of learning a new system always takes a while. Not to mention you are doing it with everyone around you also learning it.”
Through the early portion of spring practice, progress has been steady.
Following the team’s first scrimmage, Cefalo pointed to the strides made in a short period of time.
“That was our sixth practice,” he said. “From practice one to practice six, it is pretty impressive what these kids have been able to retain.”
At this stage, Cefalo sees a mix of players beginning to play freely and others still processing the system in real time. But that balance is expected, especially with a group learning together.
“You still see a lot of guys thinking out there, which is OK,” he said. “That is part of it.”
What has stood out most, however, is the group’s mindset.
“I think we have a group that really wants to be good,” Cefalo said.
At quarterback, Cefalo inherited a room with experience and familiarity in Anderson’s system. Landry Lyddy and John White both have a year under their belts at Southern Miss, which Cefalo said has helped ease the transition.
“I am spoiled in that room,” Cefalo said. “Landry and John have done a phenomenal job. Their recall with the offense was incredible. And Ethan Hampton has made up for lost time. He has not played in our system much, but he has played a lot of football, and that shows up in the way he commands it.”
The way Cefalo sees it, the quarterback battle is not between two players, but three.
“I have three guys that want to be the starting quarterback,” Cefalo said. “And I have three guys that are making a case for it.”
Beyond competition for the starting job, Cefalo pointed to their ability to help the rest of the offense develop. Quarterbacks serve as an extension of the coaching staff, helping communicate concepts and align the unit.
“There is nothing better than quarterbacks being able to help the receivers, the tight ends, the running backs and the offensive line,” Cefalo said.
Cefalo’s system will feature many of the same core principles that have defined Anderson’s offenses over the years, including spacing, tempo and the ability to attack defenses in multiple ways.
But as the play caller, Cefalo will also bring his own touch.
“I am going to have a little bit of my own style,” he said. “You are going to see a lot of the same splits, a lot of the same tempo, and we will try to be as varied as we can.”
At receiver, Cefalo said the focus this spring is simply getting the group healthy. Several players have not practiced fully, limiting continuity within the unit.
Despite his background coaching receivers, Cefalo emphasized a run first approach offensively.
“I have coached receivers for 10 years, and now I am coaching quarterbacks, but I absolutely love running the football,” Cefalo said. “It is the best way for us to control tempo and dictate the game. It starts by running the football, and that creates a lot in the passing game.”
“Eleven personnel, if we can get into 12 personnel, which I think we will be able to this year, that fires me up,” he added. “That is something I would really like to instill.”
Running the football, however, starts up front.
Despite being one of the most inexperienced position groups, Cefalo said the offensive line has shown a willingness to compete.
“It is a constant battle of who is going to be the starting five,” Cefalo said. “It is an inexperienced group, but it is a hungry group. It is a competitive group, and they are going to set the tone for how this thing goes.”
For the remainder of the spring, Cefalo said the focus is simple. Build chemistry and confidence.
“The inexperience does show up, but the competitiveness is there,” Cefalo said. “We just need to keep coming together and keep building confidence in ourselves and in one another, and we will be just fine.”
