Southern Miss football signed 23 players to its roster on Wednesday.
Of the 23 signees, 14 are out of high school, six are from the transfer portal and three played in junior college.
Ryder Burns: 6-1, 185, LS
Lake Cormorant, Miss. (Lake Cormorant HS)
High School: Lettered at Lake Cormorant HS (Lake Cormorant, Miss.) under coach Nick Hester…Served primarily as Gators' long snapper…Ranked as a two-star athlete by Rivals…Committed to Southern Miss on Sept. 19, 2022.
J.J. Butler: 6-5, 207, WR
Forest, Miss. (Scott Central HS)
High School: Tallied 63 receptions for 1,366 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 games for Scott Central High School, which captured the Class 2A State Championship at The Rock this fall…Had five catches for 131 yards, including touchdown grabs of 73 and 28 yards in 42-12 state title victory over Charleston…First-team All-State selection by SBLive and a Class 2A All-State pick by the Mississippi Association of Coaches…Played in the Mississippi-Alabama High School All-Star game…Team also won the 2021 state title.
Kolbe Cage: 6-1, 205, LB
New Orleans, La. (Arizona)
2022 Arizona (Redshirt Freshman): Appeared in eight games for the Wildcats, making six starts at linebacker…Tallied 24 tackles (12 solo), two pass break ups and on fumble recovery…Recorded five tackles on three occasions, Mississippi State (9/10), North Dakota State (9/17) and Oregon (10/8)…2021 Arizona (Freshman): Played in one game, against Arizona State (11/27)…Redshirted season…High School: Prepped at Holy Cross HS (New Orleans, La.) for coach Nick Saltaformaggio…Played football and basketball…As a senior, tallied 63 tackles…Candidate for Sports Illustrated All-American list…As a junior, named All-District 5A-9.
Gabe Cacazos Jr.: 6-4, 285, OL
Lake Cormorant, Miss. (Mississippi State)
Mississippi State: A member of the squad for the 2021 and 2022 season, but did not see any action on the field…High School: Prepped at Lake Cormorant High School under head coach Nick Nester…Three-star recruit per ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports … Considered the No. 20 recruit in Mississippi by both ESPN and 247Sports…Ranked No. 18 in Mississippi by Rivals…As a senior, blocked for four 100-yard rushing games and 1,695 yards rushing...As a junior, paved the way for 2,002 rushing yards and blocked for six 100-yard rushing games...Team reached the end zone 27 times on the ground... As a sophomore, helped LCHS average 100.0 yards rushing and 128.8 yards passing...Team rushed for 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns...Also played tight end…Invited to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game.
Ethan Crawford: 6-0, 195, QB
Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Hillcrest HS)
High School: Injured his knee in the final regular season game, leading them to a 10-0 record before being lost for the rest of the season and his team lost in the second round of the state playoffs…Completed 56-of-94 passes in 2022 for 1,063 yards and 13 TDs…Rushed for 794 yards and 14 TDs on 91 carries…Didn't play in the second half of six of Hillcrest's 10 games due to the lopsided scores…Earned second-team all-state by the Alabama Sportswriters Association…Was named second team as a junior when he passed for 2,297 yards and 24 touchdowns and rushed for 885 yards and 17 touchdowns…Team reached the state Class 6A semifinals…Was voted to play in Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game but had to withdraw due to injury.
MJ Daniels: 6-1, 210, DB
Lucedale, Miss. (Ole Miss)
2022 Ole Miss (Sophomore): Played in 11 games for the Rebels, recording four tackles and half a sack…Played primarily on kickoff coverage and punt return units…Against Central Arkansas (9/10), tallied three tackles…2021 Ole Miss (Freshman): Appeared in five games in first season in Oxford…Registered two tackles on the year…Collegiate debut against Austin Peay (9/11) with one tackle…Played as reserved corner and on punt return for Rebels defense and special teams…High School: Prepped at George County HS (Lucedale, Miss.) for James Ray (2020) and Matt Caldwell (2017-19)…Lettered in baseball and football for the Rebels…As a senior, named to Clarion Ledger's Dandy Dozen…Selected as All-American Bowl Participant as well as Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game…As a junior, recorded 23 stops and four interceptions…As a sophomore, stopped 29 opponents and picked off three passes…Rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and three-star by Rivals, ESPN and 247 Composite…Ranked as the No. 4 player in Mississippi by 247Sports and No. 10 athlete in the nation…No. 38 cornerback in the country according to Rivals.
Elijah Douglas: 6-3, 280, DL
Pensacola, Fla. (Pine Forest HS)
High School: Earned three letters at Pine Forest HS (Pensacola, Fla.) for coach Ronnie Douglas…As a senior for the Eagles, recorded 39 tackles (22 solo) with 10 tackles for loss…Also had five sacks and one interception for a touchdown…In three years on Eagles' defensive line, tallied 123 tackles (61 solo), 23 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five quarterback hurries and one interception…Rated as a three-star prospect by the major services…247Sports Composite listed him as the 172nd-best prospect in Florida and 132nd-best defensive lineman in the country.
Holman Edwards: 6-3, 210, QB
French Camp, Miss. (Houston)
Houston: Did not see any action this season…Played in one game during the 2021 campaign and had a rush for minus-2 yards…East Central CC: Played two seasons at East Central Community College, where he threw for 1,615 yards on 182-of-327 passes over 14 career games with 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions…Completed 57.1 percent of his passes his freshman campaign, completing 116-of-203 passes for 985 yards and nine TDs over nine games…Followed that season with a COVID-shortened five games in which he tossed for 628 yards on 66-of-124 and three touchdowns…High School: Attended French Camp High School…Passed for 3,563 yards and 39 touchdowns during his prep career, on 236-of-443 throws, averaging 96.3 passing yards per game…Added 1,581 rushing yards…Also played defense and registered 97 career tackles with six interceptions and one fumble recovery.
Connor Gibbs: 5-10, 175, PK
Metairie, La. (Metairie Park Country Day School)
High School: Prepped at Metairie Park Country Day School for coach Christopher Chetta … Played football and soccer for the Cajuns … As a senior, served as primary punter and kicker for Cajun football … Booted seven punts for 145 yards and a long of 48 yards … Connected on 13-of-14 extra points and finished 7-of-9 as a placekicker … Longest field goal marked for 49 yards … Scored 34 points for the Cajuns over the 2022 season.
Austin Gonzalez: 5-11, 175, QB/ATH
Plano, Texas (Lovejoy HS)
High School: Plays at Lovejoy High School in Dallas Metroplex area as a dual threat quarterback… Led his team to the area round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs during his senior campaign…Helped lead massive comeback in that game versus South Oak Cliff, including TD passes of 66 and 53 yards…An all-district selection…Also ran track and posted times of 11.55 in the 100 and 23.20 in the 200…A National Merit Semifinalist who garnered a 36 on his ACT…An academic all-state selection.
JQ Gray: 5-9, 160, RB
Hattiesburg, Miss. (Oak Grove HS)
High School: Posted second consecutive 1,000-yard all-purpose season at Oak Grove High School his senior campaign to earn a spot on the Pine Belt Sports All-Area team…Collected 427 rushing yards on 90 carries and seven rushing touchdowns, to go along with a 4.7 yards per carry average…Added 527 yards on 49 receptions and a pair of touchdown catches with a 10.7 yards per catch average…Notched 181 yards on seven returns and a touchdown for a 25.9 yard per kickoff return…Finished with 1,135 total offensive yards and 10 touchdowns…Named second-team All-State at athlete by SBLive…Played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game…Was the Pine Belt Sports Offensive MVP as he put up over 1,500 all-purpose yards as he ran for 885 yards, averaged 7.5 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns, and hauled in 41 catches for 550 yards and four touchdowns…Was an honorable mention selection by Pine Belt Sports as a sophomore.
Chris Hayes: 6-3, 260, OL
Starkville, Miss. (Starkville HS)
High School: Helped Starkville High to the Class 6A State championship this fall, defeating Brandon 48-32 at The Rock…Named to PrepRedZone's All-Trench first-team for Class 6A…Helped school register 5,671 total offensive yards and 64 total offensive touchdowns en route to a 12-3 record.
Tyquan Henderson: 6-3, 200, WR
Canton, Miss. (Co-Lin CC)
Junior College: Led Co-Lin CC in receptions and yards with 41 and 567, respectively this season en route to be named All-MACCC All-South first team…Started in all nine games and led the team in receptions per game at 4.6, receiving yards per game at 63.0 and averaged 13.8 yards per catch while hauling in two touchdown passes on the season…Earned MACCC second-team All-South honors in 2021 after finishing with 35 receptions for 599 yards and four touchdowns, while starting in all nine games…Averaged 62.1 yards per game giving him a spot in the Top 20 of the NJCAA rankings both total yards and yards per game…Final four games were his most productive as he had at least four catches and 85-plus yards those contests with his best performance coming on the road against Hinds where he hauled in 11 receptions for 135 yards…Had 15 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns in a COVID-shortened season in 2020…High School: Attended Canton HS…Posted 1,895 career receiving yards on 102 catches for 18.6 yards per catch, to go along with 22 receiving touchdowns…Chosen to play in the Bernard Blackwell North/State All-Star football game.
Tre’Mon Henry: 6-2, 225, LB
Columbus, Ga. (Carver HS)
High School: Prepped at George Washington Carver HS (Columbus, Ga.) for coach Pierre Coffey (2019-20, 2022) and at Eufaula HS (Eufaula, Ala.) for coach Ed Rigby (2021)…Played basketball and football for Carver and Eufaula…As a senior, tallied 52 tackles with 20 tackles for loss…Also had eight sacks and 16 quarterback hurries…Rated as a three-star by Rivals and 247Sports…247Sports ranked him as the 185th prospect in Georgia.
Jacob Johnson: 6-2, 200, LB
Covington, La. (Saint Paul's School)
High School: Prepped at Saint Paul's School (Covington, La.) for head coach Ken Sears…As a senior, named to District 5A-6 All-District Team and selected as District 5A-6 Defensive MVP…As a junior, tallied 96 tackles, eight for loss, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and five pass break ups.
Ques McNeal: 5-11, 185, DB
Ackerman, Miss. (Co-Lin CC)
2022 Co-Lin (Sophomore): Played in all nine games under head coach Glenn Davis…Tallied 27 tackles (21 solo) and two tackles for loss…Brought down three interceptions for 30 yards as well as four pass breakups and one blocked kick…Career-best six tackles against East Mississippi (9/1) in season opener…Picked off passes against Coahoma (9/29), East Central (10/20) and Hinds (10/27)…Named to First-Team All-MACCC South Team as defensive back…Received offers from Southern Miss, Central Arkansas and Troy…2021 Co-Lin (Freshman): Saw action in all nine games for the Wolves…Collected 37 tackles (22 solo) with one tackle for loss…Picked off three passes, returning them for 121 yards and two for touchdowns…Also registered six pass breakups and one blocked kick…At Pearl River (9/23), had four stops, all solo, and two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown…Earned MACCC Defensive Player of the Week Honors for performance against Pearl River…Matched season-high tackles the following week against Mississippi Gulf Coast (9/30)…Picked off pass against East Central (10/14)…High School: Prepped at Choctaw Central HS (Ackerman, Miss.) for head coach Jeff Roberts…As a senior, caught 24 passes for 554 yards and seven touchdowns…Also had 42 yards rushing and 161 interceptions return yards for 676 all-purpose yards…Picked off seven passes, returning three for touchdowns…Finished Charger career with 21 total touchdowns: one rushing, 15 receiving, one fumble recovery and three interception returns and one kick return…Career included 135 stops (103 solo)…Selected to play in 2020 Bernard Blackwell North-South All-Star game.
Matt Nixon: 6-2, 185, WR
Merry Hell, Miss. (West Jones HS)
High School: Attends West Jones High School, where he missed his senior season with an injury…Registered 814 receiving yards with seven touchdowns and added 34 tackles with three interceptions and nine pass breakups his junior campaign…Named first-team All-Region 3-5A and was a preseason All-State pick…Played on 2020 state championship squad that beat West Point 33-27 in the Class 5A title contest…Collected 791 yards receiving and six touchdowns.
Exavious Reed: 6-4, 220, TE
LaGrange, Ga. (Callaway HS)
High School: Earned first-team Region 5AA at tight end this fall for Callaway High School…Helped team win their 10th Region 5AA championship his senior campaign…As a junior, named Region 5-AA second-team selection on offense… Worked at WR and as an attached TE in certain situations…Team went 10-3 overall in 2021, making an appearance in the Georgia AA state semifinals…Also plays on the basketball team.
Luke Rogers: 6-4, 295, OL
Brandon, Miss. (Brandon HS)
High School: Spent most of his time at center and helped pave the way for 3,373 rushing yards and a berth in the MHSAA 6A Championship…Named MississippiScoreboard.com's Metro Jackson Player of the Year…Started at offensive left tackle for the past two seasons but moved to center this season. He is the rated No. 3 inside offensive lineman in Mississippi in the Class of 2023 by 247 Sports…Voted first-team All-State by both the Mississippi Association of Coaches and SBLive…Played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game... Named to PrepRedZone's Class 6A Trench first team…Younger brother of Will, who is the starting quarterback at Mississippi State…Dad, Wyatt, is the offensive coordinator at Brandon HS.
Ja’Len Sims 6-2, 202, LB
Birmingham, Ala. (Co-Lin CC)
2022 Co-Lin (Redshirt Sophomore): Appeared in all nine games for the Wolves under coach Glenn Davis…Collected 74 stops (40 solo), including four sacks for 37 yards and 10.5 tackles for loss for 58 yards…Season-best 11 tackles (five solo) against Mississippi Delta (9/8) with two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss…10 tackles (seven solo) against Coahoma (9/29) along with two sacks and two tackles for loss…Received Second-Team All-MACCC South Honors…2021 Memphis (Redshirt Sophomore): Appeared in all 12 games for the Tigers…Served primarily on special teams…Recorded one tackle and forced fumble against No. 23 SMU (11/6)…2020 Memphis (Redshirt Freshman): Played in three games over the course of the season…Had one stop against Arkansas State (9/5)…Team finished 8-3 and won Montgomery Bowl…2019 Memphis (Freshman): Redshirted the year, playing in one game against Penn State in the Cotton Bowl…High School: Started four years at Fultondale HS (Birmingham, Ala.) for Don Dover (2018) and Richie Busby (2015-17)…Helped Wildcats to four-consecutive Alabama High School Athletic Association playoff berths in Class 3A…Won Region 3A-6 titles in 2016, 2017 and Region 3A-5 title in 2018…Collected over 400 tackles in Wildcat career…As a senior in 2018, tallied 114 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two interceptions, one sack, one fumble recovery and one touchdown…Season efforts earned him Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State First-Team Honors, AL.com Super All-State Team Honors, AL.com All-Birmingham Region First-Team Honors and a spot on the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star roster…As a junior in 2017, led team to 11-1 finish, a school record for wins…Anchored defensive unit with 162 tackles…Earned ASWA All-State First-Team and AL.com Super All-State Team Honors as well as AL.com Birmingham Region Defensive Player of the Year Honors…As a sophomore in 2016, had 143 stops, 18 sacks and two interceptions…Named to ASWA All-State Second-Team and AL.com All-Birmingham Region Second-Team…As a freshman in 2015, earned AL.com All-Birmingham Region Second-Team Honors.
Eric Thomas Jr.: 6-2, 253, DL
Pensacola, Fla. (Arkansas)
Arkansas: Played in 11 games during the 2022 season and posted two tackles, one each coming against Cincinnati and South Carolina…Saw action in 12 games between defensive line and special teams making five tackles in 2021…Tied career high in stops with two against Rice (Sept. 4)…Notched one tackle in win over Texas (Sept. 11)…Tied career high in tackles with two, including 0.5 tackle for loss, against UAPB (Oct. 23)…Appeared in the season's final seven games in 2020, seeing action predominately on special teams…Totaled four tackles (3 solo) with 1.0 tackle for loss…Wrapped up first career tackle in his first game against Ole Miss (Oct. 17)…Logged a season-high two tackles with his first career tackle for loss, a stop of -1 yard in the second quarter, against LSU (Nov. 21)…Made one stop against Missouri (Dec. 5)…HIGH SCHOOL: Three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Rated as the No. 49 weakside defensive end in the country by 247Sports … Four-year letterwinner at Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola, Florida … Recorded 60 total tackles, 46 solo, with 27 tackles for loss as a senior in 2019 … Racked up 14.5 sacks, while also forcing six fumbles and a pick six … Helped the Wildcats to an 8-2 overall record and a first-round appearance in the 2019 FHSAA Football Class 6A state playoffs … Tallied 4.5 sacks in the Subway Pensacola All-Star Game … Notched 69 stops as a junior for Booker T. Washington HS, with 49 solo tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception and a forced fumble.
Tanner Welch: 6-7, 320, OL
Brandon, Miss. (Northwest Rankin HS)
High School: Prepped at Northwest Rankin High School for his senior year, after playing three seasons at Hartfield Academy…A second-team All-State selection by both the Mississippi Association of Coaches and SBLive his senior campaign…Played in the Bernard Blackwell Classic…A Top 40 Mississippi prospect by SBLive…Named to PrepRedZone's Class 6A Trench second team…Lost in Class 6A MAIS state final while at Hartfield Academy.
Billy Wiles: 6-3, 220, QB
Ashburn, Va. (Clemson)
Clemson: Originally joined Clemson as a walk-on in 2021 before being placed on scholarship for 2022 … went 2-for-4 for 31 yards and a touchdown in 11 snaps from 2021-22…Did not appear in game action in 2022…Played 11 snaps in his lone appearance of the season in 2021…An ACC Honor Roll selection…Made his Clemson debut vs. UConn, completing 2-of-4 passes for 31 yards including a 25-yard touchdown pass…Became the second Clemson walk-on quarterback in as many years to throw a touchdown pass…High School: Led Stone Bridge High School (Ashburn, Va.) to a state title in the spring of 2021…His final throw of his prep career was a 16-yard walk-off touchdown pass in overtime to defeat Highland Springs for the state championship.
