University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Mike Bethea Hired as Nickels Coach, Completing Anderson’s Full-Time On-Field Staff
1/16/2026 1:15:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Southern Miss football coach Blake Anderson announced Friday the hiring of Mike Bethea as nickels coach for the 2026 season. The hiring of Bethea completes the full-time on-field coaching staff for the Golden Eagles.
Bethea joins the Southern Miss staff after spending the last season at West Texas A&M coaching linebackers. He helped the Buffaloes to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the Heritage Bowl, the school's first bowl game since 2011.
His stint at West Texas A&M came following two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Nevada. Bethea's first season with the Wolf Pack defense featured it ranking in the FBS top half nationally in multiple statistical categories, among them red-zone defense (47th) and tackles-for-loss (43rd, 6.3 per game). The Wolf Pack also made its mark in 2023 in the takeaway category, with 11 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.
Bethea joined the Nevada football coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season from Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ), where he served as defensive coordinator since 2017. Under Bethea's leadership, the Spirit defense was ninth in the NAIA in pass efficiency defense and 13th in 3rd-down conversion defense. He crafted a defense that finished 30th in the NAIA in scoring defense during the 2019 season.
A former starting linebacker at the University of Nevada, Bethea played in eight games in an injury-shortened junior season, recording 28 tackles with 4.5 for a loss. As a senior, Bethea was second on the team in tackles with 64, including 5.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks with one interception and a fumble recovery. Before playing at Nevada, Bethea was a Second Team All-American for Palomar College.
Bethea began his coaching career as a graduate assistant (2011-12) on the defensive staff at Nevada for two seasons and served in that same role at Washington State from 2013-15, with both of those tenures overlapping with Wilson's time with the programs. Bethea also was a graduate assistant at TCU in 2016.
The Carlsbad, Calif., native earned his bachelor's degree from Nevada in 2010. Bethea and his wife Alyssa, have two sons Mason and Weston, and a daughter, Coralie.
Bethea joins the Southern Miss staff after spending the last season at West Texas A&M coaching linebackers. He helped the Buffaloes to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the Heritage Bowl, the school's first bowl game since 2011.
His stint at West Texas A&M came following two seasons as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Nevada. Bethea's first season with the Wolf Pack defense featured it ranking in the FBS top half nationally in multiple statistical categories, among them red-zone defense (47th) and tackles-for-loss (43rd, 6.3 per game). The Wolf Pack also made its mark in 2023 in the takeaway category, with 11 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries.
Bethea joined the Nevada football coaching staff ahead of the 2022 season from Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ), where he served as defensive coordinator since 2017. Under Bethea's leadership, the Spirit defense was ninth in the NAIA in pass efficiency defense and 13th in 3rd-down conversion defense. He crafted a defense that finished 30th in the NAIA in scoring defense during the 2019 season.
A former starting linebacker at the University of Nevada, Bethea played in eight games in an injury-shortened junior season, recording 28 tackles with 4.5 for a loss. As a senior, Bethea was second on the team in tackles with 64, including 5.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks with one interception and a fumble recovery. Before playing at Nevada, Bethea was a Second Team All-American for Palomar College.
Bethea began his coaching career as a graduate assistant (2011-12) on the defensive staff at Nevada for two seasons and served in that same role at Washington State from 2013-15, with both of those tenures overlapping with Wilson's time with the programs. Bethea also was a graduate assistant at TCU in 2016.
The Carlsbad, Calif., native earned his bachelor's degree from Nevada in 2010. Bethea and his wife Alyssa, have two sons Mason and Weston, and a daughter, Coralie.
Blake Anderson Introductory Press Conference
Monday, December 15
2025 Bowl Practice Press Conference
Wednesday, December 10
Charles Huff 2026 Early Signing Day Press Conference
Wednesday, December 03
South Alabama Tuesday Press
Wednesday, November 19