OFFICIAL: Southern Miss will compete in Sun Belt Conference in 2022 for fall sports

NEW ORLEANS (WLBT) - The University of Southern Mississippi is officially a member of the Sun Belt Conference effective Friday, July 1, 2022, along with three other universities.

Legal concerns were set to stall the conference realignment for Southern Miss to 2023, according to The Athletic. However, Southern Miss will in fact compete as an affiliate of the Sun Belt starting with fall sports in the 2022-23 season.

“We are excited to officially welcome James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss as members of the Sun Belt Conference,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “This expansion to 14 members—and the regional rivalries it produces—makes the 2022-23 academic year one of the most anticipated in Sun Belt history and signals the bright future that lies ahead for the conference.”

The agreement to nix Conference USA to join the Sun Belt was originally publicized on October 26, 2021, by the university.

Southern Miss was a member of the C-USA for 26 years prior to the departure.

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