Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 49-3vs Alcorn State | 6 | 94 | 15.7 | 1 | 38 | Season-high 94 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 8-43@ Auburn | 3 | 58 | 19.3 | 0 | 41 | |
| Wk 3 | L 20-48vs UConn | 7 | 81 | 11.6 | 0 | 56 | |
| Total | 16 | 233 | 15.5 | 1 | 56 |
#1
Mario Sanders II
No.45 3★, national recruit is what Mario Sanders II has put on film since landing at Southern Miss — the bet is starting to settle.
5′10″ · 191 lb · Minneapolis, MN
Transferred Illinois → Southern Miss for 2026
The numbers
233
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 rec, 94 yds, 1 TD, vs Alcorn State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior wide receiver for Southern Miss. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Illinois in 2024.
- Transferred from Illinois to Southern Miss in 2026.
Mario Sanders II
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-22
Mario Sanders II arrives at Southern Miss with a new fit to prove and an old chapter behind him.
233REC YDS16REC1REC TD
3★ · NATIONAL RECRUIT
No.45
recruiting national rank
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
2024
- Signed with Illinois3-star out of Iowa Central C.C.
20263 games
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Southern Miss
Coaching transition mid-career: Charles Huff → Blake Anderson. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Southern Miss
2025Illinois
2026Southern Miss
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Southern Miss | 16 | 233 | 14.6 | 1 | -- |
| 2025 | Illinois | 2 | 32 | 16.0 | 0 | -- |
| Career | 18 | 265 | 14.7 | 1 | -- |
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Southern Miss | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Illinois | -- | -- | 14 | -- | -- |
| Career | -- | -- | 14 | -- | -- |
Game log
Game by game
Mario Sanders II's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 49–3
vs Alcorn State
6 rec · 94 yds · 1 TD
Dominant 46-point win at home against Alcorn State.
With M. Johnson — 13 rush yds (1 car) · E. Hampton — 180 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · 15 rush yds (3 car)
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 3 · UConn · 2&5 · Q3 · EPA +3.43(06:48) Shotgun #18 L.Lyddy pass complete short right to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM27, for 56 yards to the CONN14 (#22 J.Martin), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Alcorn State · 2&5 · Q2 · EPA +3.26(11:02) No Huddle-Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short middle to #1 M.Sanders caught at ASU29, for 38 yards to the ASU00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:55, 1ST DOWN #40 C.Wilbanks kick attempt good (H: #36 D.Zimmer, LS: #46 L.Beard)
- Week 2 · Auburn · 3&2 · Q2 · EPA +2.57(03:34) Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short left to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM47, for 41 yards to the Auburn11 (#4 R.Pleasant), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Auburn · 2&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.23(07:53) Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short middle to #1 M.Sanders caught at Auburn48, for 13 yards to the Auburn45 (#1 C.Anthony) PENALTY USM Personal Foul (#84 B.Peters) 15 yards from Auburn45 to USM40
- Week 1 · Alcorn State · 3&6 · Q2 · EPA +2.13(13:30) No Huddle-Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short left to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM34, for 8 yards to the USM43, out of bounds at USM43, 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Alcorn State · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +1.68(14:52) Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short right to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM27, for 18 yards to the USM48 (#1 T.Jasper; #45 D.Crowell), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Alcorn State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.25(05:52) Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short left to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM34, for 9 yards to the USM34 (#25 E.Ruffin)
- Week 3 · UConn · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA -1.14(02:25) No Huddle-Shotgun #18 L.Lyddy pass complete short left to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM44, for 0 yards to the USM48 (#10 J.Davis; #12 S.Suchanic)
- Week 1 · Alcorn State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +1.10(13:37) Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short right to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM20, for 17 yards to the USM32 (#8 J.Davis), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN. #15 E.Thomas Jr. injured on the play
- Week 3 · UConn · 2&5 · Q1 · EPA +0.87(03:04) No Huddle-Shotgun #5 E.Hampton pass complete short left to #1 M.Sanders caught at USM22, for 8 yards to the USM33 (#10 J.Davis), 1ST DOWN
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +81 receiving yards, +7 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
2025Illinois9-4HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning
2026Southern Miss1-2HC: Blake Anderson · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Concern: epa / target (19th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Box-score rates (5)
Season trend
EPA / target— first qualifying season
Explosive rate— first qualifying season
Catch rate— first qualifying season
TD rate— first qualifying season
Yards / catch— first qualifying season
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Receiving profile
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
16 of 16 receptions matched to play-by-play
25 of 25 targets charted for true throw depth
Targets
2524% of team targetsCatch rate
64%16 of 25 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
44% of targets (11)
82%catch rate
Air -2.7 · YAC 19.0 avg
Short · 0–9 air yds
40% of targets (10)
60%catch rate
Air 5.1 · YAC 7.2 avg
Middle · 10–19 air yds
16% of targets (4)
25%catch rate
Air 13.0 · YAC 3.0 avg
64% catch rate on 25 targets · 24% of the team's targets.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home2g | 6.5 | 87.5 | 13.6 | 0.5 |
| Road1g | 3.0 | 58.0 | 19.3 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 5.3 | 77.7 | 15.5 | 0.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Blake Anderson
Pass share
52.7%
127 pass / 114 run
Plays / game
80.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.5%
121 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, fast tempo.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
How he plays
Play style
Moves the chains on third down.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Possession Receiver
Reliable target who converts on critical downs. Not flashy; consistently productive.
WR
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Macgarrett Kings Jr.’s 2014 season.
Matches Macgarrett on
Yards / reception
Height
Reception volume
Through 1 college season, his career arc tracks closest to BJ Fleming’s path through Tarleton State.
BJ Fleming
100%match
#2
Jalen Kelsey
97%
#5
Lujuan Winningham
95%
Matches BJ on
Yards per reception
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Austin Conway's sophomore season at Wyoming (2019).
87%match
Matches Austin on
Class year
Yards / reception
TD rate
The receiver room · Southern Miss
- #9Elijah Metcalf683 receiving yards · 2025
- #7Carl Chester550 receiving yards · 2025
- #6Micah Davis429 receiving yards · 2025
- #8Bralon Brown353 receiving yards · 2025
- #1Mario Sanders II32 receiving yards · 2025
17 more on the roster · Southern Miss team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology