Five players to keep an eye on from Southern Miss

Charles Huff will officially be introduced on Wednesday, and he’ll need to hit the ground running. The new head coach has already started putting together his coaching staff, and soon he will start putting together next season’s roster.

While the transfer portal doesn’t officially open until January 2, it’s never too early to look at transfer targets, especially players who played for Huff last season. Southern Miss featured many seniors this year, but there are still a handful of intriguing players with remaining eligibility.

Here’s a look at five players to keep an eye on who played for the Golden Eagles last season:

RB Jeffery Pittman

Jeffery Pittman led Southern Miss in rushing this season, and he could be one to watch, especially with running backs coach Telly Lockette following Huff to Memphis. Pittman ran for 640 yards and eight touchdowns on 146 carries. 

The running back started his collegiate career at Hinds Community College, where he ran for 1,762 yards and 33 touchdowns in two seasons. As a freshman, Pittman ran for 1,111 yards and 23 touchdowns in 10 games, and he was ranked the No. 1 JUCO running back, according to 247 Sports.

After a pair of seasons in junior college, Pittman transferred to Mississippi State, but he wasn’t with the team for the 2024 season. The running back is listed as a junior, and he could add some depth to the Tigers’ running backs room.

LB Chris Jones

Chris Jones was one of the best linebackers in the country in 2025, and he finished No. 7 in total tackles among all defensive players. He ended the year with 127 total tackles, including 46 solo tackles, and he added 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception.

Jones had eight games with 10 or more tackles, and he recorded a season-high 15 tackles against Texas State in November.

Memphis actually recruited Jones out of high school, but they offered him after he committed to Southern Miss, according to his X account. The linebacker made a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore seasons, and with two years still remaining, he will likely get a lot of calls if he enters the portal. 

LB Michael Montgomery

Linebacker Michael Montgomery was recruited out of the portal a year ago by Huff, and he made an immediate impact in Hattiesburg. Montgomery finished the year with 100 total tackles, including 26 solo, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two interceptions.

The junior spent two years at Portland State, where he was named to the Stats Perform FCS Freshman All-America team in his first year. He recorded 69 tackles as a freshman and finished with 80 as a sophomore before heading to Southern Miss.

The linebacker finished with four games with 10 or more tackles, and he had back-to-back 13-tackle games against Appalachian State and Louisiana Tech.

S Ian Foster

Safety Ian Foster was one of the best defensive backs on Southern Miss last year, and he finished the season with 75 tackles, seven pass deflections, a sack and three interceptions. The sophomore was also named to the All-Sun Belt third team.

Foster’s best game was against Appalachian State, where he recorded 12 tackles and a 99-yard pick-six.

Foster was under-recruited and started his career at Marshall before following Huff to Hattiesburg. After following him once, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine him following his head coach again, and it’s clear Foster has improved under Huff.

The move would also keep him with his defensive coordinator, Jason Semore, and he could be a fun player in the Tigers’ secondary next year.

DL J’Mond Tapp

Defensive lineman J’Mond Tapp finished the year with 67 tackles and 7.5 sacks, which led the team, and he was named to the All-Sun Belt first team.

Tapp has played at three different schools in four years, and he played his first two seasons at Texas before transferring to Arizona State. The edge rusher was a 4-star recruit and ranked the No. 11 edge in the 2022 class. 

The Louisiana native had offers from a ton of power conference teams, and he chose the Longhorns over Alabama and LSU. He only played in nine games in two seasons at Texas and didn’t see any action at Arizona State.

Tapp had a ton of success in Southern Miss’ defense, and it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see him follow his defensive coordinator.