Jackson Free Press

There may or may not be a college football season this year. There may or may not be fans in the stands if a college football season does get played. There is just so much up in the air due to the coronavirus.

If there is a season, the University of Southern Mississippi is one of the few teams that could be a force in Conference USA. The Golden Eagles should be stout on defense and bring back last year’s starter at quarterback.

Southern Miss will rely on quarterback Jack Abraham to get the offense going in 2020. The redshirt season didn't go the direct route to USM but he has made the most of the time he has spent in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Abraham started at Oxford High School in Oxford, Miss., and led his team to three straight state championship games from 2013-2015. While he was able to reach three straight title games, he did not manage to bring home a championship win.

Louisiana Tech University ended up being the first stop for Abraham in college. He redshirted the 2016 season before leaving the school after just one year.

His next stop ended up being at Northwest Mississippi Community College. In his one season at Northwest Mississippi, he threw for 2,949 yards as he completed 214 of his 337 throws with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Northwest Mississippi finished with an 8-3 record as Abraham led his team to the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College, or MACJC, title game. Just like his time in high school, Abraham ended up on the losing side as East Mississippi Community College won 67-66 to take home the championship.

Abraham finally ended up with the Golden Eagles in 2018 as he saw action in nine games. He turned out to be one of the most accurate passers in college football as he threw for 2,347 yards while completing 73-percent of his passes. He connected on 223 of his 305 passing attempts for 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

In the 2019 season, Abraham started in all 13 games for the Golden Eagles. He completed 275 of his 405 passes for 3,496 yards with 34 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.

Athlon Sports named Abraham 2020 Preseason Fourth-Team All-CSA at quarterback. Abraham could end up being the best quarterback in the conference if he can raise his completion percentage near his 2018 level and cut back on the amount of interceptions he has thrown.

Abraham wasn’t the only Golden Eagle to be recognized by the publication. Eight other USM players earned honors with offensive lineman Arvin Fletcher on the first team, Jaylon Adams earned first and second team honors as a kickoff and punt returner.

Placekicker Andrew Stine, wide receiver Tim Jones, defensive lineman Jacques Turner, and safety Ky’el Hemby all earned second team honors. Linebacker Racheem Boothe and Rachuan Mitchell landed on the third team.