Southern Miss football coach Blake Anderson hires coordinators for 2026
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New Southern Miss football coach Blake Anderson is filling out his staff for the 2026 season.
Kyle Cefalo was named offensive coordinator, assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. Joe Bolden was promoted from special teams coordinator to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
Anderson, who started the season as offensive coordinator, was promoted from interim coach Dec. 11 following the departure of coach Charles Huff to Memphis.
Cefalo comes to Southern Miss from Cal where he served as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the 2025 season. He has nine years of experience working with Anderson. He was a graduate assistant under Anderson at Arkansas State from 2014-15. He rejoined the staff in 2017 as inside wide receivers coach and was the special teams co-coordinator from 2019-20.
Cefalo followed Anderson to Utah State in 2021, working as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, before becoming the co-offensive coordinator in 2023. He also spent the 2024 season with the Aggies after Anderson’s firing in July 2024. The Aggies were sixth in the FBS in total offensive yards per game in 2024, averaging 467.7 yards.
Cefalo also has stops at Boise State and Maryland as a recruiting intern and graduate assistant, respectively.
Bolden joined Huff’s staff in January 2025. He’s previously coached at Tulsa, Nevada, Ohio State, USC, Washington State, FAU and Michigan. This is his first defensive coordinator role.
The other new hire is Jerone Steckel as the defensive line coach. Steckel was at South Alabama and served in that same position for the 2025 season. He’s also spent time as the defensive line coach at Missouri State, Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Michigan.
Returning Southern Miss staff members
Southern Miss announced that cornerbacks coach Taveze Calhoun and offensive line coach Sean Coughlin will return.
Under Coughlin USM, was fifth in the Sun Belt, giving up 22 sacks. USM recorded the most interceptions in the conference at 23.
Cornerback Josh Moten tied for second in the conference with five interceptions and tied for first with 15 passes defended. Anthony Richard Jr. was ninth with 10 passes defended. Moten was named to the All-Sun Belt first team.
Other returners include chief of staff Gary Camp, Michael Gibbs, who was promoted from assistant offensive line coach to tight ends coach, and Barney Farrar, whose title was changed from director of player development/recruiting strategy to director of Mississippi recruiting.
Reed Stringer also returns to USM as the general manager, a position he served in from 2021-24. He was Louisiana’s general manager for the 2025 season.
Southern Miss finished the season 7-6, including a loss to Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 23.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Southern Miss football coach Blake Anderson hire OC and DC for 2026
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