Blake Anderson enters his first season at Southern Miss with one of the Sun Belt’s closest quarterback competitions as Ethan Hampton, Landry Lyddy and John White battle for the starting job.
By Matt Colville | Magnolia Coast Sports
HATTIESBURG — On most summer mornings inside the Southern Miss football complex, the quarterbacks linger on the field long after many of their teammates have finished workouts. One receiver catches a deep post, another works timing on an out route, and the cycle repeats as Ethan Hampton, Landry Lyddy and John White continue competing for the most important job on the roster.
The race to become Southern Miss’ starting quarterback has quietly become the defining storyline of Blake Anderson’s first offseason in Hattiesburg. Anderson inherited a roster that has undergone one of the biggest transformations in college football, bringing in more than 70 new players through recruiting and the transfer portal. Yet despite all of those new faces, no position has drawn more attention than quarterback.
There hasn’t been a clear favorite.
There hasn’t been much separation.
And if Anderson knows who will take the first snap against Alcorn State on September 5, he isn’t showing his hand.
“I’ve never been a part of a one-two-three quarterback battle that’s this close going into fall camp,” Anderson said last week during Sun Belt Conference Media Days in New Orleans.
It’s a good problem to have, but it’s still a problem that needs an answer.
Hampton arrived from Illinois after beginning his career at Northern Illinois, where he engineered one of the biggest upsets of the 2024 season by leading the Huskies to a 16-14 victory over No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend. The veteran completed 144 of 247 passes for 1,600 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions during his final season at Northern Illinois before transferring to the Big Ten. His size, experience and calm demeanor immediately made him one of the most intriguing additions Anderson brought to Hattiesburg.
“You don’t accidentally beat Notre Dame.”
Especially not in South Bend.
That experience gives Hampton something the other two quarterbacks can’t match.
Lyddy’s case is different. He’s already won games in a Southern Miss uniform. Last season he appeared in six games and provided a spark off the bench during the Golden Eagles’ victory at Arkansas State, throwing a 76-yard touchdown pass and adding a rushing score in a performance that reminded everyone why the coaching staff believed in him. His lone start a week later against Texas State was far less successful, but another offseason in the program has given him a better command of the offense and noticeably more confidence heading into camp.
Then there’s John White, perhaps the biggest surprise of Anderson’s first offseason. Just a year ago, Anderson questioned whether the sophomore possessed the arm strength needed to make every throw in the offense. Rather than transferring, White stayed in Hattiesburg, rebuilt his mechanics and transformed his body. By the end of spring practice, Anderson was openly praising his development and calling him one of the smartest quarterbacks in the room.
It’s one of the strongest endorsements Anderson has given any player this offseason.
White appeared in five games during the 2025 season, completing 17 of 31 passes (54.8%) for 240 yards with three interceptions while adding valuable scout-team and practice reps behind veteran Braylon Braxton.
The competition now shifts into fall camp, where live pass rushes, third-down situations and full-contact scrimmages will finally provide the answers summer workouts cannot. Hampton offers the experience. Lyddy brings familiarity with the program. White carries the momentum from an impressive offseason.
Only one of them, however, will walk out of The Rock on opening day as Southern Miss’ starting quarterback.
The next few weeks will decide who that is.
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