Jags hit field in shells
Myles Gibbon scrambling during practice in 2010.
Friday mornings practice saw the team dress out in shells for the first time this preseason. It also saw an elevation in intensity, however the coaches made sure the kids stopped short of full contact.
As has become accustomed for the Jags, they started practice with specials teams work with the kicking game. This was followed by individual and group workouts. They did some double team work on offensive linemen, tight ends and receivers for the quarterbacks.
The offense then came together and worked against the defense with the inside and outside running game and also running the play-action pass.
After the team took a break from the heat, the offense and defense worked against each other with particular emphasis on packages and scenarios for about 30 minutes. Later in the team drill, the offense worked on picking up the blitz.
Rounding out the practice was the quarterbacks working on ball security and special teams working on punt coverage. Special teams is where many young players will be focusing in order to make trips on the road. Once they secure a position on special teams, then they can work into the playing rotation.
Coach Jones noticed the increased intensity and the early improvement the Jags have shown. “When you put the pads on for the first day, it’s always that way,” head coach Joey Jones said. “We have a bunch of competitive young men. They love the game and love to be physical. My job a lot of the time is pulling them back, which is good. You don’t want to have to push them forward; you want to pull them back. That’s the kind of kids we have. If we can learn to practice every day and practice with that great effort, we can be a really good football team. I like our attitude.”
Coach Jones continued talking about the team by saying, “I’ve noticed that defensively we’re getting off of blocks and running to the football very well. Offensively, we’re picking up blitzes better. The last couple of years, it seemed like every time we ran blitz period we were just getting killed on offense. Our offensive line is doing a much better job of picking that up so far. But we’re improved on both sides of the ball right now.”
Coach Jones singled out a few new additions to the program when he spoke after practice. “B.J. [Scott] looked really good out there. He has a knack for getting to the football. He has a great feel for the game. And I thought Demetre Baker looked good running the ball today. He looked a little better to me today than he did in the spring. He’s a powerful back and his vision is getting better.”
Al.com’s Tommy Hicks had a write-up about Demetre Baker, the Georgia transfer, who is moving back to running back after converting to linebacker for the Bulldogs. You can read his article here.
Preseason camp will continue Saturday morning with another 6:15am practice.
Preseason Camp 2011 is here
Monday morning the new Jaguar players reported to camp then on Tuesday morning returning veterans reported to camp. Wednesday morning the players hit the practice field to begin their preparations for the 2011 season.
On their first day the Jaguars faced a heat advisory with the heat index reaching triple digits in the morning time. But that did not discourage the team from taking part in opening drills. But it did force them to take a 10-minute break midway through the morning drills.
Coach Jones made sure that the team knew after practice that the heat related issues cannot slow them down in their preparation for the fast approaching season. “It was very hot, but I told the team that we have to find a way to work through it. We have to come out with the attitude that we are going to get work done. And we have to be smart as coaches and back off of it at times and be smart about how we structure our practice. But it was a good day, and we had good effort,” Coach Jones said.
Practice opened with the players in shorts, shirts and helmets. They kicked practice off with special teams with punt team work and with the offensive and defensive lines going through drills in the end zones. For almost an hour, they worked in individual drills and group work. Quarterbacks first threw with tight ends then will wide receivers and finished up with running backs. It also saw the running backs working behind the offensive line.
The next session lasted about 20 minutes and consisted of 7-on-7 skeleton drills. Then the players assembled for a 30 minute team period. The offensive line worked on picking up the blitz. Then a second special teams period that saw both kick and punt coverage drills.
Coach Jones was pleased with the opening day of practice and that the coaches will gain much more knowledge about what the players are capable of when they don their pads soon, which is Monday after the program’s first off day of camp on Sunday. “We’ll find out more about their explosion once we get the pads on,” he said. “But as far as quickness their feet look better and we just look better physically. I told them a couple of weeks ago that all the weight room stuff and offseason conditioning has to transfer to the field. Just because you look better doesn’t mean you are a better football player. If you’re stronger you have to play stronger; if you’re faster you have to play faster.”
He also noticed that the offseason conditioning has shown results. “We look better out there,” Coach Jones remarked. “We look bigger and faster. Coach Schwind did a heck of a job with the offseason program. There is no doubt that we are bigger. I think some of the linemen are starting to look better, as well as the linebackers. That is good, but so is the mental side. You can just see they are comfortable by what they’re doing; the freshmen and new guys’ eyes were like saucers, but the older guys know what is going on. That maturity and experience is something that we have on this team now, and these older guys can start coaching these younger guys.”
C.J. Bennett goes into the preseason camp as the number one quarterback for the Jaguars after taking the reigns in the final three games of the season and guiding the season home with another undefeated record. But both Bennett and Myles Gibbon both felt that their workouts over the summer have hepled them with today’s conditions.
“Everyone was excited to get out here,” said Bennett. “We had one of our best summers as a team. I thought the tempo was pretty good for the first day of practice, especially with this heat. We looked pretty good. You always have the first-day kinks, but we’ll just keep working.”
Gibbon commented, “We came out, and it felt like we had been out here for a few days already. We were smooth, people knew where to go and the guys who have been here showed the freshmen coming in exactly what to do right away so we didn’t have to waste time telling them. I can tell right away how much smoother it is with guys I threw with in the summer. Guys like Bryant [Lavender], Greg [Hollinger] and freshman like Anthony [Ingram] — we’re comfortable with them already, so it feels good being out here knowing we did that work before.”
The Jags will continue their early morning practice routine by hitting the practice field at 6:15am on Thursday morning. The heat advisory was extended into tomorrow with the forecasted temperature when practice begins being near 80 degrees and nearing 90 by 9am.
SBC Media Days 2011
The University of South Alabama had section in the Sun Belt Conference Media Guide for the 2011 season. It mentioned that South Alabama will be playing a full SBC schedule in 2012 and would be eligible for postseason play in 2013.
In the 180 page media guide it had an extensive write-up about the history of the conference starting with it’s inception in 1976 and the six schools who started the conference in four sports as well as it’s success early with a team in the final four, how the conference introduced the shot clock to basketball and the time line of other schools joining the conference. It also covered the conference championships teams from the previous season. It then transitioned over when it hit 2001 to football, which was the first year the conference sponsored football.
Currently the conference has 12 member institutions after New Orleans voted to drop to a lower division and pending the move of Denver to another conference it will fall to 11. However, only nine schools are participating in football currently, with South Alabama becoming the 10th when they become a full member in 2013.
FIU was picked to finish 1st in the conference with Troy chosen second in the annual Sun Belt coaches’ poll. Troy has won or shared the SBC title for the last six seasons and for several seasons now, Troy has been the #1 or #2 choice in the league, this season continues that run. Meanwhile, bleacherreport.com has the their predictions in for 2011 and they are: 1 Troy, 2 Florida International, 3 Arkansas State, 4 UL Monroe, 5 Middle Tennessee, 6 North Texas, 7 Western Kentucky, 8 UL Lafayette and 9 Florida Atlantic.
Last year SBC commissioner Wright Waters spoke during media days about how he has watched schools like Boise State, TCU, Hawaii and Utah play their way into BCS Bowl games. The SBC being one of 11 BCS conferences, but if is one of the five conferences that don’t have automatic bids to BCS bowl games. However they can play their way in. The SBC Conference champion will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if that team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or if that team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS standings and its ranking is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.
Waters challenged Sun Belt teams to set their sights on being a BCS bowl team. “If Hawaii and Boise and Utah and TCU can accomplish that, in my mind I don’t know of any reason why our schools can’t do it also,” he said.
This year, commissioner Waters said that the league was thriving in reputation over the last few years. “We are not in survival mode like we were seven, eight years ago,” he said. He also mentioned that the conference is in enhancement mode and that people know about it. “Sun Belt football is here and not going away,” he said.
Addidas commerical with Courtney Smith
He can be seen at the 38 second mark.
Jags wrap up second week of spring practice
Head coach Joey Jones observing his team as they warm up in Dothan for the Wiregrass Classic last season.
South Alabama completed it’s second week of spring practice and will now have four days off while students are on spring break.
On Monday, the first day of the second week of practice, started at 7:00AM and went for about two hours. The practice was split into two overall periods which focused on individual and team practice. Coach Jones said he is more interested in the individual portion in the spring, rather than the team portion. “I like to see how much better each guy is getting, and to evaluate talent. I think we have some individuals who are, and we’re challenging the ones who aren’t so that by the end of the spring every player will get better, that’s the whole goal.”
The Jags focused on first downs and third down plays in the red-zone on the first day of the week. Jereme Jones made a nice diving catch in the back corner of the end zone to score a touchdown. Also, Kendall Houston caught a screen pass for a score from CJ Bennett. Coach Jones remarked that he thought the final segment was pretty even, but that he would have to watch the game film to determine for certain.
On Tuesday, the Jags hit the field at 7:45AM for another two-hour workout. Coach Gregory, the offensive coordinator, echoed Coach Jones’ words about spring practice being about individual from Monday when he stated, “We’re not anywhere close to where we want to be as an offensive football team, but that’s really not our goal in the spring. Our goal has been to focus on individuals.”
Coach Gregory then continued along this line of talk when he used a couple Jaguar players as an example, such as returning receiver Corey Besteda and the new player Greg Hollinger. “For instance, are Corey Besteda and Greg Hollinger going to become big-time receivers, or are they just going to look like big-time receivers? Is Tremain Smith going to become a big-time offensive tackle or look like one? I’m using those guys as examples, but how good is each individual player going to be? That’s what it is really all about.”
Another interesting insight from Coach Gregory on Tuesday was when he spoke about scheming in the spring. “As far as scheming, we try to do enough to have a chance to move the ball but we don’t game plan. We’ll come back and do that in the fall. I never want to look at a situation in the spring thinking we have to win this drill, because I don’t want to do something now that we will not do next season.”
Another group of positions that is receiving lots of focus this spring is the offensive line. The offensive staff is working hard on individual fundamentals. Coach Gregory mentioned that he is looking at their ability to block, their footwork and their hand placement.
Offensive line coach John Turner said that they are working to improve everything they do. “We start with our split and stance, then we look at our first step, hat placement and our hands. We go back and try to break down every play to see if we are accomplishing those things. And we try to harp on effort. One thing that we know is that we are going to play hard — I don’t care if they are 190 pounds, we are going to play hard by God. So we go back and grade that every day to make sure that we are challenging ourselves to give a great effort.”
What helps the Jaguars on the line is that they will be returning all five players who started the 2010 season finale against Arkansas-Monticello. Center Trey Clark, guards Jon Griffin and Melvin Meggs and tackles Brian Krauskopf and Levi Slaydon. Additionally, Chris Brunson who started four games for the Jaguars last season before a season ending injury will also return. However, four of the five will exhaust their eligibility at the end of the 2011 season. Meggs is the only underclassman.
However that has allowed several of the Jaguars underclassmen from the second recruiting class to work in and become integral contributors to the unit. Coach Turner named Ucambre Williams, Drew Dearman, Shane Doty and Chris May as some of the integral members of the group.
Coach Turner’s commented on these younger players by saying, “I tell you what, we’re finding some players. We are looking at some younger guys who are getting better. Obviously, they still have a long way to go, we’re not there yet. But I am proud of them, they have improved every day. You can see them compete, you can see them fight. They are not backing down. They are working very hard to try and get their assignments and learn where they are supposed to be.”
Injuries have affected the offense this spring. Brunson and Shaun Artz have been unable to participate in drills. While Brandon Ross is continuing to recover from knee surgery. TJ Glover is being moved from running back to wide receiver.
Coach Gregory mentioned the injuries when he spoke. “T.J.’s absence has hurt us the most. We know Brandon can play, but we’re moving T.J. and there were some things we wanted to do with him at receiver that we wanted to look at in the spring but have junked. I think the big loss is Chris and Shaun. They are two big bodies, and we need to get bigger up front. Shaun is 290 and Chris is almost 300 pounds, we need them in there as starters or top back-ups who are going to play a lot.”
Thursday, the Jags hit the practice field behind the fieldhouse for the eighth time, marking the halfway point of spring practice. In addition to their individual drills, the team period focused on third and goal situations in the red zone. Then both first and second team offensive units had one chance to score during a two-minute drill.
CJ Bennett guiding the first team from their own 40 yard line into the red zone with three consecutive completions to Bryant Lavender, Kevin Helms and Jereme Jones. But the group had to settle for a 28 yard Jordan Means field goal.
The second team offense lead by Myles Gibbon crossed midfield on their second play when Gibbon found Taylor Noon for a gain of 24 yards. Three consecutive incomplete passes forced a 4th and 10. Gibbon found Greg Hollinger in the back corner of the end zone for a 36 yard touchdown on the last play of the team session.
Just like the offense, the defense has been working on the basics at each position. They begin each practice with tackling. As Coach Bill Clark, the defensive coordinator, says they are trying to be expert tacklers because that is what defense is all about. It’s about proper technique and angles.
Another facet that the Jaguars are working on is take-aways. In the course of winning all 17 of the schools games thus far, they have totaled 48 turnovers. They had 23 in the first season and 25 in the second season. Coach Clark wants to increase that number again in order to help give the team an even better chance to win.
Coach Clark comments, “We always say that a turnover is a gift that the offense gives us. We’re not looking for gifts, but we’ll take them. “We know that we have to physically take the ball away, and there’s a science to that — punching it out, stripping it, scooping and scoring. There are a ton of techniques to it, and we want to create that mentality that we will get the ball back to our offense.”
Another technical aspect that is being worked on this spring is how the defenders pursue the opposition. Coach Clark explains by saying, “Our goal, when you look at our defense, is to have people say they’ve never seen anyone run that fast to the ball. But there’s a way to do that. There’s leverage, which shoulder to keep the ball on. That’s how you keep from having big plays against you. So that’s where we start, putting those three things — pursuit, tackling and takeaways — together. Then you go to individual fundamentals. And so far we’ve been pleased, it’s been a real good spring up to this point.”
Coach Clark looked to shore up the secondary in the offseason. With transfers from four-year schools and junior colleges added to the roster, everything was looking pretty good. However only two players, Spanish Fort’s Ameriol Finley and Damond Smith have been able to participate in drills these first two weeks.
Coach Clark talked about the secondary. “The future is bright, but we’re a little frustrated. There are different reasons why guys aren’t here, and though we see them coming they’re not here yet. A lot of the guys who are out there now people have seen before, and they have improved. They have another year of experience and are another year older, so we’re excited about them. A lot of these guys have been with us and are going into their third season. That in and of itself is exciting. When we add these guys on the way, we feel like it’s going to be a good situation.”
While the Jags continue to run a 3-4 defense, Coach Clark and Coach Jones have created a hybrid position which combines the responsibilities of defensive end and outside linebacker. So far, the individuals who have made the move into this hybrid position have been Anthony Taylor, Logan Bennett, Clifton Crews and Alex Page.
Coach Clark elaborates on this new position. “For us, the position has fit real well. We think it fits our personnel probably a little bit better. “You can see from watching us that it is a little bit different, and I think it’s going to help us for what we’re seeing being done offensively.
He continues, “Defensively, it’s all about stopping what offenses are doing. You look at your schedule and identify who our opponents are, because we have to look ahead to those teams and what they do. We always say that we are reactors on defense, we counter the trends in offensive football. You can see from the national championship game the spread formations used and the speed of the game, and that’s what we have to get ready for.”
Then to wrap up the week, the Jaguars moved their Saturday scrimmage to Friday morning at 7:30AM due to weather concerns. The team took part in a full scrimmage when it ran through about 100 snaps.
The Jaguar defense held the offense to less than 300 total yards while giving up two touchdowns and three field goals. The scrimmage lasted almost two hours.
The offense started quick with Myles Gibbon moving the team 70 yards in 14 plays which was capped off by Ellis Hill scoring the touchdown on a 2-yard run. The third and four play back on the offense’s 37 yard line was one of the highlights on the drive. Gibbon connected with Greg Hollinger for 34 yards to move the chains. On another third down play later in the drive. When the offense needed 14 yards, Gibbon found Richard Ross for 15 for another first down.
Gibbon would finish the scrimmage 5-of-6 for 57 yards to lead the stable of quarterbacks.
CJ Bennett lead the offense on it’s ensuing drive. Bennett found Lamontis Gardner for 12 yards then Jereme Jones for nine more yards to move the offense across midfield. Kendall Houston reeled off a 16 yard run on third and one to move the chains and get into field goal range. However, an attempt at a 50 yard field goal would fly wide right. Bennett would complete five passes for 50 yards in the scrimmage.
The defense would strengthen and limited the offense to only two field goals on the next nine possessions. Both field goals came on drives led by Ray Cotton. But the defense also forced two turnovers during that stretch.
Bryson James both forced and recovered a fumble on the defense’s 27 yard line. Jonathan Cameron intercepted a pass at the goal line on the first play of a drive that started on the 30 yard line.
Another drive that started at the defense’s 30 yard line resulted in a touchdown. Demetre Baker ran on the first four plays of the possession for a total of 20 yards. Then Bennett found Ross for an eight yard completion. Then Baker ran again for a one yard gain. Then Kendall Houston capped it off with a one yard run.
James and Justin Harris both recorded four stops tieing for team best. Jake Johnson led a group of four players who made three tackles.
Richard Ross and Greg Hollinger were the lone players to record multiple receptions with Hollinger leading all with four catches for 55 yards. Julien Valentin led the ground game with eight carries for 41 yards. Baker and Santuan McGee each added 24 yards.
Coach Jones spoke after the scrimmage saying, “I think we have some guys who have gotten fundamentally better, especially the freshmen who joined us at the beginning of last season. They have really jumped. Each coach was taking their guys trying to get everyone involved in the scrimmage. I told them not to even worry about trying to group guys together. We ran about 100 plays including the kicking game, which was what we wanted to do. And I don’t think anybody got hurt, which is always a positive.”
Coach Jones continues with comments about both sides of the ball starting with defense. “Defensively we had a good day, they got after it; they played with a lot of effort and intensity.”
Then he commented about the offense by saying, “All three quarterbacks came out and played well today. They were calm in the huddle and did a good job running the team. We also got a little better blocking on the offensive line today. I know I keep saying this, but it’s not about who won the scrimmage. I don’t even care. It’s about who is getting better fundamentally. That’s what we keep looking at and the way we set practices up.”
In addition to the offensive versus defensive plays, the Jaguars also worked on special teams play throughout the scrimmage. One period was devoted to kickoff returns while another was devoted to kickoff coverage. All three kickers on the roster attempted a minimum of three field goals during and after the scrimmage.
The Jags will have four days off with the next practice scheduled for Wednesday at 7:45AM.
Jags hit practice on Thursday in full pads
Jags prepare to take the field in Texas where they defeated Lamar 26-0 in their first true road game.
Thursday morning, South Alabama hit the practice field in full pads for the first time during spring practice. Head coach Joey Jones was impressed by what he saw and how his team handled the two hour workout.
The team went through several drills including one-on-one drills with offensive linemen vs defensive linemen, running backs and tight ends vs linebackers, wide receivers vs defensive backs, 7-on-7 skeleton passing drills, about 15 minutes worth of inside drills of offense vs defense front line, linebackers and safeties. Plus about 35 minutes of team drills which primarily focused on 3rd-down situations. Overall team practice focused on blitzes and formations.
The special teams portion of practice focused on punt coverage which included individuals working on punt blocking.
Coach Jones commented after practice on what he saw on the field. “There was a lot of spirit today, the guys were getting after it. You like that as a coach, because you don’t want to push them forward, you’d rather rein them in, and I think that’s where we were today. There was some great competition out there, we set it up to run a lot of competitive drills all day long and I thought they reacted well.”
Jones continued talking about some players who stood out. “I thought the defensive line as a whole stood out, and Randon Carnathan is playing really well in that group. They got after it today. Our linebackers were flying around, I saw Jake Johnson make some plays. Offensively I believe that Greg Hollinger stood out today at wide receiver, and C.J. Bennett is playing real well; I think he has really learned the offense, he’s getting rid of the ball quickly and making plays when he has to. I’ve been real proud of him.”
The Jags will round out the first week of practice on Saturday with workouts beginning at 9am. Coach Jones said that it would mostly be a regular practice with some team time at the end. Coach Jones also said that the team was not ready for a full scrimmage yet and that they would only run about 30 plays in the team session at the end of practice.
Jags begin 2011 Spring Practice
South Alabama was among the first programs in the country to start their spring football practice on Monday. The players hit the field at 7am for the first of 15 practices that can be held over the span of 5 weeks. The fifteenth and final of those practices, the annual spring football game, which is scheduled for 2pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday, March 26th and the only practice that will be held off campus.
Coach Jones has continued their short tradition of holding practice early in the morning. He says that the players concentration is much better at that time of day.
Coach Jones also commented about his decision to begin practice early in the spring. “From an academic standpoint, when we finish on March 26th our student-athletes will be getting into the meat of their schedule as the end of the semester nears. This gives them about six weeks where they can concentrate on academics, which I feel is a help to them. Secondly, if we were to have any significant injuries, it gives us a month or a month-and-a-half to help those individuals rehab so they can come back. I think those are the two main reasons why I like to practice this early in the spring.”
The Jags hit the practice field again on Tuesday then took Wednesday off. They will hit the field again on Thursday at 7:45am and will end the week with a 9am stretching session on Saturday.
Coach Jones commented on how the players have grown since last year. “When you walk in the weight room right now you see guys who are bigger and stronger,” he said. “Some of the guys have been here three years, and you can just see that the bench presses, squats and power cleans are going up. I want to see how that translates onto the field, that’s usually exciting.”
Coach Jones continued, “We want to be extremely physical. When people look at us and how we play, hopefully that is what they’ve seen. We want to continue that. I think we need to have physical teams to compete with these teams we will play next year like North Carolina State and Kent State, and on down the line. It’s also going to be interesting to watch the competition — there should be much more this spring because guys who have been in some slots the last couple of seasons are getting better, but we have some young players who are coming along as well as the transfers who will be on the field for the first time next week.”
The second week of practice will be similar to the first week of practice with a 7am practice on Monday and 7:45am practices on Tuesday and Thursday. Then they will have their first scrimmage on Saturday at 9am. Following three days off from Sunday March 6th through Wednesday March 8th, they will then hit the practice field for three consecutive days. Wednesday and Friday practices will be at 7am and Thursday’s practice will be at 7am. The Friday practice will be the second of the three scheduled scrimmages. Then the Jags will take off for spring break.
Once they return from spring break, they will practice at 7:45am on Tuesday March 22nd and Thursday March 24th before the final scrimmage on Saturday March 26th.
South Alabama’s 2011 Signing Class
Coach Joey Jones talked with WNSP’s Pat Greenwood at halftime of the Jaguars win over Georgia State.
Here is a breakdown of the players who signed Letter-Of-Intent for South Alabama:
- Akeem Appleton from Fort Payne, AL and Fort Payne HS. Akeem is ranked 10th among athletes in the state of Alabama by ESPN.com and rated a 2* by Scout. He is 5’11” and weighs 175lbs while playing running back.
- Demetre Baker from Orange Park, FL via Georgia and stands 6’1” and weighs 210lbs. He has been recruited as a running back, which he played in high school. But his time a Georgia was spent as a linebacker. He was a High School All-American by both SuperPrep and PreStar magazines.
- Jeffrey Dyson from Thomasville, GA and stands 5’9” while weighing 150lbs. According to Scout, he runs a 4.4 40 and played running back and defensive back at Thomasville HS.
- Ameriol Finley from Spanish Fort, AL stands 6′ and weighs 175lbs. He is a 2* recruit by Scout and lead Spanish Fort HS to their first state championship in 5A. He played quarterback in a zone read type offense. He has already enrolled and started classes at USA this spring and was recruited to play defensive back.
- Marquel Gardner from Prichard, AL stands 6’2” and weighs 200lbs. According to Rivals, he is a 2* recruit and runs a 40 in 4.6 seconds. He played Safety and is labeled as a defensive back for South Alabama. He was selected first-team All-Region as a Senior. Gardner transferred from Tuskegee.
- Cordivido Grice from Pensacola, FL stands 6′ and weighs 205lbs. He is listed as an Outside Linebacker. He was ranked among the top 25 Outside linebackers in the state by ESPN after recording 114 total tackles.
- Joey Hamilton from Northridge HS in Tuscaloosa, AL stands 6’2” and weighs 225lbs. He is listed as a Long Snapper and a Linebacker on Scout while being listed as a long snapper and full back by the Jags.
- Charles Harris from Charleston, MS from Coahoma MS CC stands 6’2” and weighs 190lbs. He is listed as a linebacker and a safety on Scout and is listed as a defensive back by the Jags. He lead Coahoma with 89 total tackles with 69 of them being unassisted.
- Maleki Harris is from Cordova, AL and stands 6’2” and weights 200lbs. He is listed as a 3* recruit and also is listed as the number 33 player in the state of Alabama by Rivals and is listed as running a 4.6 40. He had 142 tackles, 13 sacks and 5 interceptions in the 2010 season for Cordova HS at outside linebacker. Maleki had offers from Illinios, Kansas, Memphis, Mississippi State and Southern Miss.
- Kennedy Helms from Gulfport, MS and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC stands 6’2” and weighs 230lbs. He may sound familiar because his brother already plays for South Alabama. He helped MGCCC go 10-2 on the season and finish 3rd in the NJCAA poll. He plays tight end.
- Jake Howton is another player from Cordova, AL that stands 6’2” and weighs 180lbs. He is ranked 15th among athletes in the state of Alabama by ESPN. He totalled 1,363 yards of total offense in 2010. He is listed as a wide receiver for the Jags.
- DaMon Husband from Williamson HS in Mobile, AL stands 6’2” and weighs 315lbs. At Williamson he was a four-year starter and is ranked number 83 overall and 3rd in the state among guards by ESPN.
- Anthony Ingram from Jasper, FL stands 5’9” and weighs 170lbs. He is a 3* prospect according to Rivals and lead his team to a district title with a 6-0 record. His Scout profile has him listed as a wide receiver while he is listed as an Athlete by the Jags.
- Ceasare Johnson from Memphis, TN stands 6’6” and weighs 265lbs. He is credited with 70 total tackles, 51 being solo and six sacks while at Coahoma MS CC. He is listed as a weak side defensive end on Rivals and is simply listed as a defensive lineman by South Alabama.
- J.J. Keels from Melbourne, FL stands 5’10” and weighs 180lbs. Keels is listed as a 3* recruit and ranked 38th nationally and also in the top 10 in Florida at running back by ESPN. Rivals has him timed at 4.42 seconds in the 40 and 4.25 seconds in the shuttle while aslo having a 36” vertical and a 3.8 GPA. Plus looking at his highligh film, J.J. has great vision.
- Desmond Lavelle from Decatur, AL stands 5’11” and weighs 225lbs. He is rated second among inside linebackers in the state of Alabama by ESPN and is a 3* recruit according to Rivals. He has a 4.6 second 40 according to Rivals.
- Ramone Lewis from Eufaula, AL stands 5’10” and weighs 230lbs. He is a 2* recruit according to Scout and is credited with 84 total tackles during his Senior season. Ramone is listed as an inside linebacker and a running back in high school, but is listed as a linebacker at USA.
- Gabe Loper from Meridian, MS stands 6’2” and weighs 190lbs. He is a transfer from East Central MS. CC. He was named to the second-team All-MACJC after posting 39 total tackles and 3 pass break-ups. He will plays defensive back.
- E.J. May from McGill-Toolen HS in Mobile, AL stands 5’11” and weighs 175lbs. May is ranked 85th nationally as a cornerback and is among the top 5 in the state of Alabama at the same position by ESPN. Rivals has him listed as running a 4.47 40 and a 4.29 shuttle. He decommited from Kentucky and chose South Alabama.
- Dionte McDuffy from Shreveport, LA stands 5’10” and weighs 190lbs. He helped Evangel Christian Academy to win a 2A state championship in his senior year. He is listed as a 2* recruit by Scout. He is listed as a defensive back.
- Kolt Peavey from Molivar, MO stands 6’2” and weighs 180lbs. He helped Bolivar HS to a berth in the state playoffs his senior year with a 9-2 record. Scout has him listed as running the 40 in 4.7 seconds as a quarterback.
- Devin Robinson from East Limestone HS in Athens, AL stands 6’3” and weighs 220lbs. He is listed as a 3* prospect by Rivals and is among the top 50 recruits in the state of Alabama according to ESPN. He is listed as running the 40 in 4.5 seconds. Devin received offers from Arkansas State, Jacksonville State, MTSU, Southern Miss, Troy and UAB but decided on South Alabama.
- B.J. Scott from Vigor HS in Prichard, AL and a transfer from the University of Alabama stands 5’11” and weighs 205lbs. B.J. is already on campus and in classes. He is a top-10 recruit by position according to ESPN, Rivals and Scout.
- Damond Smith trasfers from Western Michigan and hails from Ecorse, MI. He stands 6′ and weighs 185lbs and transfers in as a sophomore. He was listed as a cornerback and a wide receiver out of HS but is listed as a defensive back by South Alabama.
- Robert Terrell from Russellville, AL and Russellville HS stands 6’1” and weighs 245lbs. Robert is listed as a 3* recruit by both Rivals and Scout but is listed as a 2* from ESPN. He is listed as an inside linebacker by Rivals. He is also listed as running the 40 in 4.6 seconds. He was offered by Louisville but chose South Alabama
- Carl Williams from Jacksonville, FL stands 6′ and weighs 180lbs. Rivals has him listed as running the 40 in 4.5 seconds, benching a 325 max, squatting a 455 max, a 4.2 second shuttle, a 36” vertical, a 3.0 GPA and an 18 ACT. He is a 3* recruit according to Rivals, Scout and ESPN. He also has an extensive list of offers: Arkansas, Cincinnati, Uconn, FIU, Iowa State, Kansas, Maryland, MTSU, Minnesota, Northern Illinois, South Florida, Texas Tech, Troy, UCF and UCLA but chose South Alabama. He played Safety and is listed as a defensive back for the Jags.
This is a solid recruiting class for Coach Jones and his staff. They picked up some players who were offered scholarships to SEC schools in addition to two transfers from SEC schools. Seven of the Jags players are rated as 3* talent and six players were rated as 2* players by recruiting services. B.J. Scott was a 4* talent when he was signed by Alabama as part of the 2008 class. Among the 26 players, seven enrolled in school last month and one more intends to join the program in the fall. Of the 26 players, nine of them are from within the state of Alabama, five are from Florida and three are from Mississippi.
As mentioned in the breakdown of the players, South Alabama recruited against several FBS schools. Some of the schools they recruited against are: Tennessee, Mississippi State, Mississippi, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, TCU, Boise State, Stanford, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, NC State, Maryland, Texas Tech, Illinois, Iowa, South Flordia, Connecticut, Louisville, Washington State, Southern Miss, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, UAB, Troy and Middle Tennessee. Coach Jones said that the quote around the Field House is, “If we can just get them to Mobile, we will have a great shot.” Obviously, kids have been impressed by our facilities, the city of Mobile and the campus.
South Alabama definitely shored up their secondary by signing 10 players in the secondary. Unfortunately they lost a couple recruiting battles for some defensive lineman according to Coach Jones. Being out-weighed by NC State, it would have been nice to see a couple Offensive Linemen signed but Coach Jones seemed to be content with what they have.
On the offensive linemen note, several players will take some time in spring practice at center. After an injury last year left them very thin at that position, they do not want to repeat that. Actually Coach Turner remarked that he was on a team that had, I believe he said, six centers go down with injuries.
As of 7pm, Scout has Western Kentucky as the top class in the Sun Belt and number 81 overall. Earlier it looked as though FIU was going to have another year on top of the conference. However, a glace at WKU’s recruits according to Scout looks to be on par or slightly lower than South Alabama. But ultimately the true test is how they fit with the rest of the team and how well their talent is developed by the coaching staff.
South Alabama’s Courtney Smith marks first Jaguar ever invited to the Senior Bowl
Courtney Smith looks to the sidelines early in the Jaguars game against Lamar University.
South Alabama’s Courtney Smith has proven himself to the Jaguar Nation as a great receiver. He could have stayed at UAB but he believed that USA was the right place for him. He came in and helped the program to back-to-back undefeated seasons, 17-0, with wins over four FCS (AKA Division I-AA) programs. Additionally he has been a great face for the program’s short history, now he continues to represent the program in the Under Armor Senior Bowl.
In the first day of Senior Bowl week, Courtney has already impressed many scouts with his numbers. Online draft coverage by DraftDaddy, TalkNFLDraft, NFAuthority, DraftScout, OptimumScouting, Wes Bunting and Shane P. Hallam have all mentioned that Courtney is “quick and big”, “sleeper”, “real deal”, “built like a tank”, “Massive, completely looks the part” and “looked impressive” when mentioning him.
Additionally, the Sporting News mentions him in the second sentence of their article covering the Senior Bowl weigh-in.
Draft Daddy’s write-up of the South squads practice mentioned that Courtney wasn’t “wide-eyed” and that hey played very well by making several big plays and “impressive run-after-catch ability.” Also according to them, his speed as with all wide receivers and cornerbacks will dictate his draft value. But they also mentioned hs knack for getting open and according to them “looked big-time.” Then they asked the question, “We wonder what [h]is stock would be like were he wearing a helmet from a traditional football factory.” Story here.
We will try to bring you more good stories about Courtney Smith and his Senior Bowl experience. Go Quick6 and Go Jags!
Coach Rodrigue Moving On
Coach Mitch Rodrigue, who coached the Tackles and Tight Ends on the Offensive Line, has been hired to coach the Offensive Line at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Prior to his two year stint at South Alabama, Coach Rodrigue spent nine years in Hattisburg at Southern Mississippi.
On the field, Coach Rodrigue coached the Tackles and the Tight Ends, helping the Jaguars average 439 yards per game and just under 46 points per game. Off the field, Coach Rodrigue had been named in to the Rivals.com Top 10 list of best Non-BCS recruiters.
Good luck in the future Coach Rodrigue. Well, except when the Jags face off against your Ragin’ Cajun’s.