HATTIESBURG - Southern Miss ventured into the offseason in desperate need of a shot in the arm at the linebacker position.
The Golden Eagles waved goodbye to Brian Anderson, Anthony Swain and Terrick Wright, each of whom made at least six starts in 2015. Elijah Parker was the lone returner to make more than one start at linebacker and the team signed only one such player in February, Bassfield’s Racheem Boothe.
That left a group of unproven candidates to fill the void created by the mass exodus of experience. Sherrod Ruff made a case after playing in 11 games (one start) as a sophomore last season.