Blake Anderson
Hot seat: 18% chance he is fired before the season ends
Why: 3-6, 1.0 wins behind preseason pace; 0-1 last season
Coaching since 2014
Blake Anderson is 3-7 at Southern Miss since 2025 and 81-69 in his career. Hot seat: 18% chance he is fired before the season ends.
Updated Nov 9, 2026Sources: school staff directories, TransferPortl coaching tenures, CFBD
2026 season3-6Conf 2-3
At Southern Miss3-7Conf 7-6 · since 2025
Last 3 seasons3-7Conf 7-6
Career81-69Conf 64-37 · 13 seasons
Source: ESPN standings; Hot seat tracker through 2025, ESPN standings for 2026; Hot seat tracker
Southern Miss won 53.6% of its games before he arrived (57.7% in conference). His career win rate is +0.4 pts against that (+5.6 pts in conference).
Bio
- Alma mater
- Sam Houston State
- Calls plays
- Yes
- Background
- Offense
- First-time head coach
- No
Head Coaching Seasons
11 seasons| Year | School | W-L | Conf | SRS | SP+ | SP+ Off | SP+ Def | AP Final | Titles and Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |  Southern Miss | 0-1 | Sun Belt | -8.6 | -7.1 | 27.0 | 32.8 | - | L 16-27 New Orleans Bowl vs Western Kentucky |
| 2023 |  Utah State | 6-7 | Mountain West | -4.6 | -10.9 | 28.6 | 38.6 | - | L 22-45 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl vs Georgia State |
| 2022 | Utah State | 6-7 | Mountain West | -12.1 | -13.3 | 25.4 | 38.5 | - | L 10-38 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs Memphis |
| 2021 | Utah State | 11-3 | Mountain West | 0.4 | 0.1 | 28.4 | 27.9 | 24 | Conference co-champion; W 24-13 Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl Presented by Stifel vs Oregon State |
| 2020 |  Arkansas State | 4-7 | Sun Belt | -7.3 | -6.5 | 31.1 | 37.2 | - | - |
| 2019 | Arkansas State | 8-5 | Sun Belt | -5.6 | -2.9 | 30.1 | 34.2 | - | W 34-26 CAMELLIA BOWL vs Florida International |
| 2018 | Arkansas State | 8-5 | Sun Belt | -2.8 | 1.2 | 29.9 | 27.9 | - | L 13-16 bowl vs Nevada |
| 2017 | Arkansas State | 7-5 | Sun Belt | -2.9 | 1.5 | 29.3 | 28.6 | - | L 30-35 RAYCOM MEDIA CAMELLIA BOWL vs Middle Tennessee |
| 2016 | Arkansas State | 8-5 | Sun Belt | -1.2 | -1.2 | 21.9 | 21.1 | - | Conference co-champion; W 31-13 AUTONATION CURE BOWL vs UCF |
| 2015 | Arkansas State | 9-4 | Sun Belt | -3.2 | 0.5 | 30.9 | 28.4 | - | Conference champion; L 28-47 R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL vs Louisiana Tech |
| 2014 | Arkansas State | 7-6 | Sun Belt | -4.9 | -0.3 | 31.5 | 31.6 | - | L 44-63 GODADDY BOWL vs Toledo |
Southern Miss Staff, 2026
21- Blake AndersonHead Coach
- Kyle CefaloAssistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
- Joe BoldenDefensive Coordinator/Linebackers
- Luke KerverAssistant Special Teams Coordinator
- Presley BoykinAssistant Defensive Backs
- TJ HarkinsAssistant Defensive Backs
- Addison TuckerAssistant Defensive Line
- Cy MooneyAssistant Linebackers
- Jacob SummersAssistant Offensive Line
- Zach MarlinAssistant Tight Ends
- Ben OlingerAssistant Wide Receivers
- Taveze CalhounCornerbacks
- Jerone SteckelDefensive Line Coach
- Brandon BowlingInside Receivers
- Mike BetheaNickels
- Sean CoughlinOffensive Line
- Jack ChavisOffensive Line Assistant
- Quinshad DavisOutside Receivers Coach
- Issac ReedRunning Backs
- Kendrick ShaverSafeties
- Michael GibbsTight Ends Coach
Transfer Portal at Southern Miss
Roster average Transfer Vulnerability Score (TVS): 16
| Cycle | In | Out | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45 | 40 | +5 |
Staff History by Season
4 stints- 2026Southern MissHead Coach
- 2025
- 2023
- 2021-2022Utah StateHead Coach
Coaching Tenure Timeline
3 stopsHead Coaches He Worked Under
1- Charles HuffSouthern Miss, 2025
Players He Coached
11
Braylon BraxtonQB · Southern Miss · 2025
Denzel GardnerQB · Southern Miss · 2025
Landry LyddyQB · Southern Miss · 2025
Kyle McCormickQB · Southern Miss · 2025
Jacobe RobinsonQB · Southern Miss · 2025
John WhiteQB · Southern Miss · 2025- Ezra HarrisQB · Utah State · 2023
McCae HillsteadQB · Utah State · 2023- Cooper LegasQB · Utah State · 2023
- Zeke PayneQB · Utah State · 2023
- Levi WilliamsQB · Utah State · 2023
Recruiting Classes by Tenure
Southern MissHead Coach 2026-present
| Class | Commits | 5-Star | 4-Star | Avg Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 |