Joey Jones Says South Alabama Uniforms Approved, Basketball’s Ronald Douglas to Join Spring Practice

MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football coach Joey Jones said Wednesday that the university president has approved the Jaguars’ new uniforms and that the program hopes to unveil them in about two weeks, as the first-year program moved deeper into spring practice ahead of its debut season this fall.

Jones made the comments on the final spring episode of the Joey Jones Show with host Lee Shirvanian. The radio program is scheduled to return in August, ahead of the season.

First Practice in Pads

The Jaguars put on pads for the first time Tuesday. Jones said he liked the intensity of the session and that the contact work was beginning to show the staff which players were the toughest on the roster. The team worked through some full-team periods, and several players caught the coaches’ attention.

Wednesday’s practice was scheduled to follow a format similar to Tuesday’s, with more time devoted to special teams before the full-team work. Jones said the staff did little special teams work on Tuesday and planned to begin adding more of it.

Asked whether South Alabama would hold a spring game similar to Alabama’s A-Day, Jones said every Friday through the end of spring practice will be a scrimmage. He added that the team runs 11-on-11 plays every day it is on the practice field.

Uniform Plans

With the uniforms approved, Jones said the staff was still working out which jerseys the Jaguars would wear at home and on the road this fall. One option under consideration is wearing white jerseys at home, an approach used by LSU and few other schools.

Jones said he had considered silver helmets, an idea he had discussed on earlier episodes of the show, but said the latest helmet design stood out to him and would represent the university well.

Ronald Douglas Tries Out

South Alabama men’s basketball player Ronald Douglas, who stands 6-foot-8, was set to try out for the football team and was expected to practice in pads Wednesday. Jones said basketball coach Ronnie Arrow described Douglas as a very good athlete. The staff was considering Douglas at defensive end. Douglas played football in high school.

Building the 2009 Schedule

Jones said early discussion of the inaugural season called for the Jaguars to play four or five games, but he pushed to increase both the number of games and the level of competition. He said he and athletic director Joe Gottfried assembled a schedule designed to challenge the players.

The program initially planned to play club teams. Instead, the schedule features prep schools, military academies and junior colleges, along with one Division III opponent, Huntingdon College. Jones said the tougher slate would test his players and give the staff a chance to recruit players from those schools.

Hargrave Military Academy, which went 10-1 last season, regularly sends players on to the Southeastern Conference and other Division I programs. Huntingdon finished 8-2 after an 8-0 start and was considered for an at-large bid to the Division III playoffs. The Hawks outscored opponents 417-158, recorded three shutouts and ranked fifth in scoring offense.

Jones said many prep school players were recruited by schools from every BCS conference and that the prep ranks produce more future NFL players than most people realize. He said many of those players fell just short of Division I academic requirements, sometimes by a single grade, and attend prep schools to improve before signing a scholarship. Jones said the prep schools welcome South Alabama’s interest because signing more players to Division I scholarships helps their own programs.

All scheduled kickoffs are listed for 4 p.m. except for one 11:30 a.m. game. Jones said the times could change and that the first season would serve as a test to determine which kickoff times work best for South Alabama in relation to Alabama and Auburn games.

Stadium and Recruiting

Asked about a proposed 50,000-seat stadium that a private group planned to build off Interstate 10 west of Mobile, Jones said an on-campus stadium should probably be the program’s ultimate goal. He said an on-campus venue adds to campus atmosphere and that schools moving from off-campus to on-campus stadiums have seen attendance double.

Jones also offered advice for players hoping to earn a scholarship. He said a highlight video from a high school coach is the easiest way to get a player noticed, and that South Alabama has received more than 2,000 DVDs, all of which the staff reviews. He cautioned that a highlight reel can show a player’s best plays while omitting mistakes, so the staff wants to see more. Jones said attending a football camp is one of the best ways for a prospect to be evaluated, noting that some schools will not sign a player who has not attended one of their camps unless he is a top recruit. He said he will not sign a quarterback without seeing him play in person.

Jones also encouraged fans interested in volunteering on the sidelines or elsewhere to contact the football office, which has a list of tasks that need to be covered.