Wiles named QB1 at Southern Miss

Clemson transfer Billy Wiles will be under center for the Golden Eagles when the season kicks off at The Rock against Alcorn next Saturday.

Southern Miss Head Coach Will Hall has announced that Billy Wiles will be the team’s starting quarterback when the Golden Eagles open their season next Saturday against Alcorn State at home at The Rock.

Wiles, a Clemson transfer, has been battling it out with Houston transfer Holman Edwards for the QB1 role since the two arrived in Hattiesburg during the offseason.

“We’re going to name Billy Wiles the starter,” Hall told the media after practice on Tuesday. “Two things have been evident to me throughout this fall camp. One, Holman and Billy are both really good players and really good leaders, and we can win with both of them. And two, Billy’s been better. He’s just been a little bit better.”

Coach Hall said the quarterbacks will continue to compete every day just as they have been.

Wiles is an Ashburn, Virginia native. He came to USM after spending two seasons at Clemson. Originally, Wiles joined Clemson as a walk-on in 2021 before being placed on scholarship in 2022. He was 2-for-4 for 31 yards and a touchdown in 11 snaps from 2021-22.

The new QB1 for Southern Miss was nursing a quadriceps lateral injury in the spring but has recovered well heading into the fall camp.

Edwards, a French Camp, Mississippi native, will be second on the depth chart. He was at Houston for two seasons before entering the transfer portal and landing at USM. He was redshirted as a Freshman and then appeared in one game as a backup quarterback as a Sophomore for the Cougars.

Zach Wilcke, the Sophomore Golden Eagles’ QB who played in 8 games in the 2022 season, is vying for the third spot on the depth chart this season along with Freshman Ethan Crawford.

Southern Miss also lists Freshmen Kyle McCormick (redshirt) and Austin Gonzalez on their QB depth chart along with Junior Jake Lange, the team’s holder.