MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said he saw a quicker, faster team as the Jaguars opened 2015 South Alabama preseason camp with their first practice Tuesday evening.
“One thing I did notice was that our team is quicker and faster, they moved around really well,” Jones said. “I think the offseason went real well this summer and they are in good shape, that was one really good thing. The defense moved around real well, much better than expected with so many young and inexperienced guys out there. But they are starting to pick up on some things, you can tell they worked hard this summer as well. It’s one practice, we have a long way to go.”
Quarterbacks in 7-on-7
The session included 30 minutes of 7-on-7 passing drills, with the remainder devoted to individual work and special teams.
Cody Clements took the first-team snaps in 7-on-7 and completed 6 of 9 attempts. Evan Orth went 7-of-14 with two touchdowns, a 10-yard scoring pass to Gerald Everett and a 20-yarder to DJ Vinson. Dallas Davis worked one series and completed his first three throws, the last a 30-yard touchdown.
Jersey and Position Changes
Danny Woodson will wear No. 2 this season, and Terrance Timmons will wear No. 5. Berron Tyson has moved to defensive back.
Jones said Timmons earning the No. 5 jersey, associated with the late Jaguar Anthony Mostella, carried special meaning. “You could tell that was a meaningful thing for [Terrance],” Jones said. “Terrance has been here pretty much the whole time our program has been here, he knew that Anthony Mostella was a leader and the kind of man we want here in this program; by that I mean a gentleman off the field, and a warrior and a competitor on it. Terrance was very deserving of that award.”
Goals for the First Week
Jones said the opening days will focus on teaching before the team puts on pads.
“There will be a lot of teaching, we want guys to understand the fundamentals of the game,” Jones said. “Obviously we’re trying to put in as much as we can daily, and by the end of the week we’d like to have 80-90 percent of our offense, defense and special teams put in. Secondly, we want to give the guys a lot of reps because we’ll start dwindling that down to mostly the ones and twos next week.”
Players of the Day
Josh Magee was named offensive player of the day. Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent said Magee’s effort and tempo were at an “all-time high” and that he was “extremely impressive” in every drill, including special teams.
Devon Earl earned defensive player of the day. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson said Earl, returning from shoulder surgery, was in “rare form,” making every check, producing a number of plays and helping line up teammates.
Jeremy Reaves made the play of the day, diving during the first team’s second series to break up a pass to Vinson that appeared headed for a gain of more than 15 yards.
South Alabama, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, returns to the practice field Wednesday evening before moving to a morning practice schedule.
Update: More on Timmons and the No. 5 Tradition
The No. 5 jersey is considered one of the highest honors a South Alabama football player can earn. It is awarded each year in memory of Anthony Mostella, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2010 at age 22. Mostella played for Jones at Birmingham-Southern and followed him to South Alabama after persuading Jones to accept him as a transfer.
“We’re all going to die, some of us at 20, some of us at 80,” Jones told AL.com. “But to me, (Mostella) lived a full life because he affected so many people. So I decided to try and keep that number alive, to give that number to somebody every year who was deserving, and had the same types of qualities that he had.”
Timmons, a senior running back, is a graduate of Davidson High School in Mobile. He began his college career at Jacksonville State before joining South Alabama as a walk-on, and was named the coaches’ offensive scout team honoree after the Jaguars’ 2011 win over Tennessee-Martin.
As a redshirt freshman, he played in every game but the season finale and ranked third on the team with 212 rushing yards on 66 carries, adding seven catches for 46 yards. In 2013, he played in every game, rushing for 83 yards on 16 carries and recovering a blocked punt in the end zone against Tulane.
Last season, Timmons appeared in all 13 games and started the final three regular-season games. He ran for 403 yards on 75 carries, a 5.4-yard average that ranked third on the team in rushing yardage, and tied for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns. He led South Alabama’s running backs with 11 catches for 113 yards. Against Texas State, he led the Jaguars with 74 yards on 11 carries and scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 8-yard run early in the fourth quarter of the win that made South Alabama bowl eligible.
Previous recipients of the No. 5 jersey:
- 2014: Jereme Jones
- 2013: Bryant Lavender
- 2012: Brandon Ross
- 2011: Paul Bennett
- 2010: Justin Dunn
