Exactly one month before its 2026 season opener, South Alabama took the practice field for the first time in preseason camp on Wednesday, working out for roughly two hours in warm, humid conditions at the Jaguars’ outdoor facility in Mobile.
It was the first of four consecutive practice days for South Alabama, which is coming off a 4-8 finish in 2025. Here are three takeaways from the Jaguars’ opening day of camp.
Quarterbacks Pushing Each Other
Senior Bishop Davenport returns after starting every game at quarterback for South Alabama last season, but head coach Major Applewhite made clear the position will be a competition just like the other 21 spots on offense and defense. Davenport completed 68% of his passes with 12 touchdowns a year ago, while also rushing for 507 yards and eight scores, and now has 14 starts over the past two seasons.
Sophomore Jared Hollins, who played in four games last season before getting extensive reps in the spring, is pushing for time as well, along with true freshmen Taylor Jacobs and Aaden Shamburger.
“At the end of the day, just having played that position, it doesn’t matter whether you’re in the SEC or the Sun Belt, you better have two ready,” said Applewhite, a former star quarterback at Texas. “We’re going to compete with two. We’ll see how those guys go through fall camp and then we’ll make our decision off of that.”
Davenport said he welcomes the competition. “I love it,” he said. “We push each other every day on and off the field. We have a great bond on and off the field as well. They’re gonna always keep me sharp and I’m always gonna keep them sharp.”
One Key Player Back Healthy, Two Still Out
Running back PJ Martin returned to practice after sitting out most of the spring and missing time late in the 2025 season with back issues. Martin, who rushed for 330 yards and four touchdowns in eight games last season, is a full participant entering camp and figures to pair with returning back Keenan Phillips, who rushed for 623 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.
The injury picture is less encouraging at linebacker, where projected starters Caleb Dozier (foot) and Tirrell Johnson (knee) are continuing to recover from injuries that limited their 2025 seasons. Applewhite said there’s no set timetable for either player’s return.
“I don’t have any real hard report for those guys,” Applewhite said. “They’re continuing to rehab and getting better every day. When they come back is obviously up to doctors and them, doing the rehab.”
Along the offensive line, South Alabama was able to field two full groups for 11-on-11 drills after finishing spring practice with just nine healthy linemen. The first unit featured Reese Osei-Wusu at left tackle, Jamal Siler at left guard, Kenton Jerido at center, Shalik Hubbard at right guard and returning starter Ethan Hubbard at right tackle.
Defense Focused on Stopping the Run
This season marks the debut at South Alabama for defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, a veteran assistant who has previously worked at programs including USC, Texas, Houston, South Florida and Florida Atlantic. Orlando and Applewhite are longtime friends who served together as coordinators under Tom Herman at Houston a decade ago.
South Alabama finished fifth in the Sun Belt in total defense last season but just 10th in scoring defense. The Jaguars were solid against the pass, ranking fourth in the league, though that may have owed partly to opponents’ success on the ground. South Alabama allowed 177 rushing yards per game, 103rd nationally out of 136 FBS teams, along with 25 rushing touchdowns (105th) and 4.7 yards per carry allowed (112th).
“I think the first thing we’ve got to get changed is the run game from last year,” Orlando said. “For people to be able to take the ball and just run it on us, you’re not going to win a lot of ball games that way. So establish the fundamentals and technical part of it, toughen up. That’s the big part. And then play explosive on defense… it’s a work-in-progress during fall camp.”
South Alabama returns to practice Thursday and opens the 2026 season at home on Sept. 5 against Southeastern Louisiana.