Southern's football team added some help for its special teams with a commitment from transfer kicker/punter Kenny Pham, who played the past two seasons at Alcorn State.
Pham, a sophomore from Port Arthur, Texas, announced his commitment on X. He will have at least two seasons of eligibility and is the second specialist that has transferred from Alcorn State to Southern in the past three seasons. Robens Beauplan was Southern’s punter the past two seasons after leaving Alcorn State.
Pham (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) was a backup to Caleb Darbone last season and punted 14 times for a 32.6-yard average. He did not attempt a field goal but had two kickoffs for a 44.5-yard average. He is the likely replacement for Beauplan and will compete with Joshua Griffin for the kicking duties.
Pham is one of four new faces since the beginning of the summer set to join the Jaguars roster under first-year coach Terrence Graves, including a pair of hometown defensive backs. Former Southern Lab player Herman Brister (6-2, 200) announced his intent to transfer from Air Force and former Belaire High standout Tremell Harrell (5-10, 182) is transferring from Northern Colorado.
Also transferring in is Kilgore Community College defensive tackle Quinton Butler (6-1, 295), who played at St. Martinville. Butler played in 11 games with five tackles and one tackle for loss with a pass breakup and a blocked kick last season. Harrell played in seven games in two seasons at Northern Colorado, and had four tackles last year.
Media Day reps
Wide receiver Chandler Whitfield and All-SWAC defensive end Ckelby Givens will represent Southern at SWAC media day in on July 16 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Whitfield, a senior from Zachary, is Southern's leading returning receiver with 17 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns last season. Givens was one of the top defensive players in the conference last season with 61 tackles, seven sacks, 21 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown.
The following is a list of other attendees from SWAC schools at media day:
Alabama A&M
Donovan Eaglin, running back
Emari Pait, defensive back
Alabama State
Andrew Body, quarterback
James Burgess, defensive back
Alcorn State
Tavarious Griffin, tight end
Malachi Bailey, defensive line
Bethune-Cookman
Raymond Woodie III, defensive back
Trevaris Hammond, offensive line
Florida A&M
Kendall Bohler, defensive back
Kelvin Dean Jr., running back
Grambling
Myles Crawley, quarterback
Quintin Talley, defensive back
Jackson State
Esaias Guthrie, defensive back
Evan Henry, offensive line
Mississippi Valley
Kerrick Ross, wide receiver
Jordan Bussey, defensive line
Prairie View
CJ Pressley, defensive end
Shemar Savage, wide receiver
Southern
Chandler Whitfield, wide receiver
Ckelby Givens, defensive end
Texas Southern
Jacob Williams, linebacker
Mehdi Torrence, offensive line
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Elijah Jenkins, defensive end
Daemon Dawkins, wide receiver