The South Alabama Jaguars enter the 2022 football season with a wide receiver room that looks markedly different from a year ago, and senior Jalen Wayne is embracing the job of steadying it. With standout Jalen Tolbert now off to the NFL, Wayne has become the unquestioned veteran presence for a unit that features several young and largely unproven players. Tolbert, last season's Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the NFL Draft and is expected to compete for a starting job in Dallas this season.
He set multiple school receiving records during his time in Mobile and, along with fellow departed receiver Kawaan Baker, helped anchor a South Alabama passing attack that ranked among the Sun Belt's best in recent years. With Tolbert gone, Wayne — the nephew of former Indianapolis Colts All-Pro receiver Reggie Wayne — is the last man standing from that group, and he says he has fully accepted the responsibility that comes with it. "I'm definitely OK with it. I've been OK with it. It's fun," said Wayne, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior. "I like the feeling of the pressure or whatever y'all like to call it. It's OK.
I definitely like the role." Wayne said the transition into a vocal leadership position has come naturally after several fall practice sessions, even though it required a shift in mindset for a player who has spent most of his career focused on his own development rather than directing others. "I've been kind of that way my whole career as far as worrying about what the other guys have got going on," Wayne said. "But now that I'm in the role that I'm in, it's a lot easier because they are looking at me as the only guy to listen to, so whatever I say kind of goes. It's not a dictator thing, but they believe in what I say.
That's as easy as it can be as a leader." South Alabama head coach Kane Wommack said Wayne's experience — both on the field and around the program — makes him the natural choice to set the tone for a receiving corps that will lean heavily on newcomers this fall. "I think Jalen's been around so long that he does understand the expectations, he realizes the standard and he's seen what great wide receiver play looks like in this league, both from himself and two of his closest friends that are now in the NFL," Wommack said, referring to Tolbert and Baker.
"Now I think it's just a matter of elevating the overall expectations in that room with some guys that are going to contribute but don't have the same amount of experience," Wommack continued. "Jalen's not the loudest guy out there on the field unless he's really emotional, and we try to limit that as much as we can. But I think he's a guy who understands that you have to set an example, and I think he's come light years in that regard." Wommack said Wayne's combination of talent and football IQ gives him a chance to play at a high level beyond college as well.
Background and Context
"Obviously, Jalen is the only real experienced wide receiver in a group of young guys that we're going to need to step up and fill some roles of some really great receivers who have come through here over the last couple of years," Wommack said. "I think Jalen, athletically and his understanding of what we're doing, puts him in position to be an elite receiver in this league and pretty much any other league for that matter. He's always been the most gifted on any field that he walks on.
So for him, it's just understanding how to be the most consistent player across the board — and I think we've seen a lot of steps in the right direction, just in the last year and a half on that." Wayne enters his final season coming off the best year of his career, having caught 53 passes for 630 yards and two touchdowns in 2021. For his career, he has hauled in 94 receptions for 1,163 yards and three touchdowns. He arrived at South Alabama after a standout senior season at Spanish Fort High School, where he recorded 28 catches for 469 yards and three touchdowns to go with 279 rushing yards. Wayne began his prep career at Faith Academy before transferring to Spanish Fort.
As for the receivers who will be counted on to replace the production South Alabama lost, Wayne said he has liked much of what he has seen through fall camp, while also pushing his younger teammates to eliminate mental mistakes. "Caullin Lacy definitely got a lot better over the offseason; we've been working together," Wayne said. "Nae'Saan Dickerson and Christian Wortham are coming along. Oakley Coleman is getting really open, he's just got to start catching the ball and stop the alligator arm stuff. I could go on for a day, but those young guys are looking good. T.J. Davis is looking good.
He was a little nervous at the beginning, but as we got on he looked pretty good." "I just told them at the end of the day you signed a scholarship to catch the football, so that's what they expect of us and that's what we've got to do," Wayne said. "We ain't O-linemen, we ain't the quarterback, we're the receivers, so we've got to catch the football. I don't really like dealing with excuses." Wommack echoed his receiver's optimism about the young talent set to join Wayne in the rotation this season. "I'm really excited about some of the young talent. We have some really explosive players in that regard, and we also have some guys doing some things from a discipline standpoint at a high level," Wommack said.
"Devin Voisin is one that comes to mind; he is talented and he's also just so consistent. I think our quarterbacks trust him when he's out there on the field, and he does a great job in terms of taking care of the ball. He's got great hands.
Background and Context
Then you've got some guys like Jay'juan Townsend and Christian Wortham, who I think have tremendous upside, and how soon they fully achieve that consistency will be an indicator too of how we can utilize those guys." "You add those with guys like Caullin Lacy and Jalen Wayne, who are already proven receivers in this league, and I think we have a chance to have a pretty good corps instead of maybe just featuring one player or two players like we did with the two Jalens a year ago," Wommack said. South Alabama's tight end group is also expected to help shoulder some of the passing-game load this season. The Jaguars return Brandon Crum, Lincoln Sefcik and Jacob Hopper, and add Ole Miss transfer D.J.
Thomas-Jones, a Saraland High School product, along with Nick Ruggs and Todd Justice, giving Wommack's offense several options at the position as it looks to replace departed playmakers.
Wider Significance for Coastal Alabama
This story is part of a broader set of changes playing out across Mobile, Baldwin and the wider Gulf Coast region. Local residents, businesses and government agencies have been watching developments like this one closely, because decisions made in Mobile and Baldwin counties often ripple outward into neighboring communities across south Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle. Public meetings, council work sessions and state legislative hearings have all carried echoes of the underlying concerns, with stakeholders ranging from neighborhood associations to industry groups weighing in on what the outcomes will mean for daily life along the Gulf Coast. Reporters and editors in the region have worked to document how these issues affect ordinary people, from commuters on Interstate 10 to families visiting the public libraries and parks that anchor so many of the Port City’s neighborhoods. The deeper context often emerges over months rather than days, as projects move from announcement to planning to construction, and as the people most directly affected find their voices in the public record. Continued coverage remains important, both for accountability and for the historical record, and the unfolding situation is one that warrants attention from anyone with a stake in the future of south Alabama.
Looking ahead, observers across the region expect the conversation to continue evolving. Local officials have signaled their intent to monitor outcomes closely, and community organizations have indicated they will remain engaged as new information becomes available. The intersection of state policy, local implementation and on-the-ground impact is precisely where stories like this one tend to develop their lasting significance. For Mobile and Baldwin residents, the practical effects will play out over time, in everything from tax bills and utility rates to traffic patterns and the availability of public services. Following the developments requires patience and attention to detail, but it is also a reminder of how civic life in coastal Alabama continues to be shaped by decisions that begin far from the neighborhoods they ultimately touch. Residents who want to stay informed can do so by following local government meetings, attending public hearings when significant issues arise, and reading the regional reporting that tracks how these stories progress from one phase to the next.
Local news organizations continue to follow this story closely, and updates are expected as more details emerge. The developments have generated discussion across the region, with attention from both longtime residents and newcomers who are following the issue for the first time. Community leaders have emphasized the importance of staying engaged with local government and participating in public meetings when significant decisions are being made. As the situation continues to unfold, residents are encouraged to remain informed through reliable local reporting and official city and county communications channels. The story remains active, and additional information is anticipated in the coming days and weeks as the relevant agencies and stakeholders complete their work.