Five Southern Miss football players who improved their stock in preseason practice
Southern Miss football concluded its two weeks of intensive preseason practices with a scrimmage Saturday morning, with the offense asserting itself after the defense-controlled Tuesday's scrimmage.
Here are five Golden Eagles who improved their stock in the preseason period.
WR Jakarius Caston
The Golden Eagles feel as though they've got a real standout player in Jakarius Caston, who enters his second season in Hattiesburg after coming through the junior college ranks at Hinds.
Both Will Hall and wideouts coach Desmond Lindsey picked him as their breakout player, and he made his ability very clear during Saturday's scrimmage. He caught a 65-yard touchdown on a seam route from Ty Keyes, then reeled in a 75-yard score on a slant pattern after breaking a tackle.
"We thought he was one of the best players in Conference USA last year," Hall said. "We just couldn't get him the ball."
LB Daylen Gill
Ole Miss transfer Daylen Gill has a chance to be the most impactful of the 10 Division I portal additions the Golden Eagles made last offseason.
A vicious tackler, Gill's pursuit of the ball is relentless, and he's an enthusiastic blitzer – making him a strong fit for defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong's scheme. He'll have to outshine a very experienced group of Golden Eagles linebackers to claim a starting spot, but his ability is going to be very useful for Southern Miss no matter what role he fills this season.
"He's a guy that's been ferocious all camp," Hall said.
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QB Zach Wilcke
It's apparent the Golden Eagles have a very talented quarterback for the future in true freshman Zach Wilcke.
His preseason hasn't been free of mistakes, that's to be expected from a youngster adjusting to the most complex position in college sports. There are very few throws on the field he can't make, and he offers the athleticism necessary to tuck it and run when he needs to as well.
Keyes is the firm starter for the Golden Eagles in 2022, but Wilcke has made his potential very clear over the past two weeks.
"Wilcke has flashed his arm talent a lot," Hall said. "He's got to continue to learn how to be a college quarterback, with everything we're doing."
CB Brendan Toles
Second-year cornerback Brendan Toles has been consistently praised by Hall over the last week.
The 6-foot-1 Oxford product did enough as a true freshman to appear in nine games for the Golden Eagles a year ago and has positioned himself to provide much-needed depth for Southern Miss behind veteran starters Eric Scott and Natrone Brooks.
"He's a really talented young player," Hall said.
TE Ray Ladner
Ray Ladner has been on the Southern Miss roster since 2017, he's a name Hall has consistently brought up as one of the most improved Golden Eagles.
A small injury to presumptive starter Cole Cavallo early on in preseason practice provided opportunities for other members of the Southern Miss tight end group to increase their rep count, a key opportunity for Ladner.
Tight ends coach Cayden Cochran isn't looking to run a one-man show this season – three or four different tight ends will play, he said, and Ladner could be a valuable asset for Southern Miss in his role.
Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Five Southern Miss football players who upped their stock this preseason
