By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

SouthMiss6 Sports is rolling out its inaugural roster of the top standout prep football players in our coverage area. The “Sweet 16 in the Southern Six” list was compiled by coaches and sports writers who have been following the action on the gridiron in South Mississippi for the past three decades.

One player will be revealed and added to the list each day until the list is complete. Also, once the complete list of 16 players is finished we will follow up with an “Honorable Mention” list of seven players to give us a complete starting line-up of 22 players plus a kicker.

Next up is the honorable mention list followed by the “Sweet 16”:

— Bryshen Smith, Wide receiver, Ocean Springs — Smith is the leading returning receiver in the “Southern Six” after hauling in 42 passes for 765 yards and three touchdowns last year while also rushing for five more touchdowns and returning two punts for touchdowns.

— Romane Grant, Defensive lineman, St. Martin — The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder returns for his senior season to lead the Yellow Jackets up front after he committed to play at the Naval Academy next year.

— Bryant Ausmer, Defensive lineman, Ocean Springs — The 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior standout is expected to control the trenches after he committed to Southeastern Louisiana University recently.

— OL Zaylin Dedeaux, Offensive lineman, Ocean Springs — The monstrous 6-foot-6, 350-pound senior tackle returns for his final campaign with five Division I offers in hand and he was a Class 7A First Team All-State pick last season.

— Jaylen Antoine, Running back, Bay High — The speedy senior is coming off a 1,224-yard season as a junior in which the Tiger runner found the end zone 11 times on the ground and four more times through the air.

— LB Boone Wilson, Linebacker, Harrison Central — Wilson had 117 tackles including nine tackles for loss, three sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles as a junior.

— Tristan Haynes, Wide receiver, Biloxi — As a junior, the versatile two-sport standout was the top pass-catcher last season for the Indians with 36 receptions for 632 yards and nine touchdowns.

16 — Fredrick Nicholson

Gautier|5-11, 205| Linebacker

As a junior, Nicholson led the Gators with 136 total tackles with nine tackles for loss and he four forced fumbles and recovered two fumbles. For his play he was named to the Class 5A First Team All-State squad.

15 — Blane Green

George County|5-10, 180| Linebacker

As a junior last season, Green produced total 138 tackles from his middle linebacker spot with 11 tackles for loss and three sacks and he averaged 11 tackles per game and had one fumble recovery.

14 — Aidan Taylor

Hancock|6-1, 225| Defensive End

As a junior, Taylor was a one-man wrecking crew off the edge for the Hawks. He registered 106 total tackles in 2023 and led the “Southern Six” in tackles for loss with 35 and in sacks with 11. Taylor was named to the All-Region 4-6A Defensive MVP Team and was an honorable mention Class 6A All-State performer.

13 — Will Smith

Ocean Springs | 5-9, 185 | Running back

As a junior last season, Smith bounced back from an injury he suffered during his sophomore season to rush for 1,268 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground

12 — Silas Corder

Pascagoula | 6-1, 205 | Quarterback

A Southern Miss commit, Corder set the program record for career touchdown passes last season when he tossed 23 scoring strikes and finished the season with 1,981 yards through the air during his junior campaign.

11 — Solomon Baggett

Gautier |5-10, 190 | Running back

As a sophomore, the sophomore ran for right at 1,500 yards and accounted for 16 touchdowns. His efforts helped guide the Gators to back-to-back Class 5A South State championship games for the first time in program history. Baggett’s rushing total marked the most by a Gautier player in at least 15 years and is the most by any returning player in the “Southern Six”.

10 — Trevon Deans

Gulfport |6-0, 200 | Defensive back

Last season, as a junior at Harrison Central, Deans had 47 tackles with 35 solo and four tackles for loss and he had six interceptions. He also caused a pair of fumbles and recovered a fumble as well. For his senior season, Deans decided to take his talents to Gulfport, where he is expected to be an effective force for the Admiral’s defensive unit as well.

9 — Jacquez Alexander-Dedeaux

Pass Christian | 6-2, 185 | Running Back

Alexander-Dedeaux had 208 carries for 1,472 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior last season. He needs less than 100 yards in his senior season to eclipse the career 3,000-yard rushing plateau which he should accomplish in the first game of the season.

8 — Tylan Wilson

Pascagoula | 6-3, 175 | Defensive back

Wilson, a four-star recruit, is the No. 8 overall prospect in the state, He had 69 total tackles, 34 solo, and five interceptions. Wilson has offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Memphis, Miami, Arkansas and Texas Tech.

7 — Sharroid Whitehead

Ocean Springs | 5-9, 175 | Athlete

Just a sophomore, the versatile Whitehead has quickly turned into a three-star recruit despite limited action as a freshman last season when he had 48 receiving yards and 43 rushing yards and 92 return yards. Whitehead has offers from Tennessee, Oklahoma, Baylor, Arizona, Texas Tech, UCLA, Wisconsin, Florida State, Penn State and Kansas State among others.

6 — Tylan Keys

Poplarville | 6-1, 190 | Running back

Keys rushed for 1,222 yards on 148 carries with 24 touchdowns last season as just a freshman. Keys’ offers so far include Mississippi State, Boston College, Oregon, Ole Miss and Penn State as he enters his sophomore season for the Hornets.

5 — Kohl Bradley

George County

6-0, 170 | Defensive Back

A South Alabama commit, Bradley is a three-star recruit and he had 58 total tackles with two interceptions, five pass deflections and three forced fumbles in just six games for the Rebels last season.. He also scored twice on defense, one on an interception return and another returning a fumble. Bradley also had scholarship offers from Troy, Western Kentucky and Memphis, among other schools, and also drew recruiting interest from power programs such as Arkansas and Florida State.

4 — Jaylon Parnell

Pascagoula | 6-1, 220 | Linebacker

A three-star recruit and a Louisiana Tech commitment, Parnell had 99 tackles, four sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions for 130 return yards last season as a junior. He is rated as the nation’s No. 35 linebacker and the No. 11 player in the state of Mississippi by the industry-generated 247Sports Composite index Parnell also received interest from Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Missouri among others after earning First Team All Region 4-6A honors and Second Team Class 6A All-State honors.

3 — Darrell Smith

Picayune |5-9, 170 | Running Back

Smith, A Louisiana-Lafayette commit, had 1,087 rushing yards with 124 carries and 15 touchdowns as a junior last season along with 194 receiving yards and three touchdowns plus he also made 14 tackles in the defensive secondary last season. He is expected to be one of the most versatile backs in the state this fall.

2 — Evan Noel

St. Stanislaus | 6-2, 155 | Kicker

Noel, an Arkansas commit, went 8-of-12 on field goals with a long of 49 yards and was 42-of-43 on PATs. He averaged 38.5 yards per punt with a long of 65 last season. He helped guide the Rock-A-Chaws to an impressive 9-2 overall record and the Region 8-3A title. It marked the first region crown for SSC since 2016.

1 — Deuce Knight

George County | 6-4, 206 | Quarterback

Knight, a Notre Dame commit, is the highest-rated quarterback in Mississippi’s 2025 class. He passed for 1,420 yards with 15 touchdowns in seven games last season. Knight is the number four quarterback overall nationally from the 2025 class according to On3, and is the No. 2 overall recruit from Mississippi for the cycle.