MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football is scheduled to hold the second of its 15 spring practices Wednesday afternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Jaguar practice facility on campus. It is the second of four sessions planned this week, none of which includes a scrimmage.
The Jaguars opened South Alabama football spring practice Monday, working in helmets and shorts.
Opening-Day Team Period
The team period on Monday consisted of six offensive possessions starting from the offense’s own 30-yard line, run over a 15-minute window. The first and second units each had two drives of five snaps, and the third unit had two possessions of four snaps apiece.
The offense also ran a pair of 12-minute 7-on-7 skeleton passing drills, one near the start of practice and one near the end. The three offensive units combined to throw more than 60 passes in those two periods.
Players of the Day
Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent named running back Dami Ayoola the offensive player of the day, citing his footwork, his vision and his ability to catch the ball.
Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson selected Tre Alford as the defensive standout, saying Alford played with energy and enthusiasm and understood his assignments.
The play of the day went to defensive back Jeremy Reaves, who made a diving pass breakup on a throw intended for receiver Tyrone Williams during the team period. A completion would have produced a first down.
Jones: Spring Is About Individual Improvement
Head coach Joey Jones said he liked the effort and pace of the opening session.
“I thought there was great effort and a real good tempo today, I was real proud of that,” Jones said. “But we can get better; we have a bunch of guys who understand it, a bunch who are close to understanding it and a bunch who don’t understand it. We have to get more guys to that top level, that’s what the spring is all about.”
Jones said his priority in the spring is the development of individual players rather than scheme.
“Spring is about positions,” he said. “I know the coordinators want to get them together and have cohesiveness, but in my opinion the spring is more about trying to get the individual better because if they get better our team is going to be better. We have to concentrate on them fundamentally, we can’t lose sight of that. Sometimes you get caught up too much in scheme, but we’re not playing a game in the spring.”
New Faces on the Staff
Jones also said he is pleased with the coaches who have joined his staff during the offseason.
“I’m real excited about them, there’s a chemistry,” Jones said. “With each time we lose a coach, we have an opportunity for someone to come in here and show themselves. We’ve done a good job of bringing guys in who understand the game, and they’re good people as well.”
Jones has led the South Alabama program since its creation, and the Jaguars compete in the Sun Belt Conference.
Update: Spring Schedule and Roster Turnover
All 15 of South Alabama’s spring practices are open to the public, with weekday sessions beginning at 3 p.m. Practices are also scheduled on Fridays, March 20, March 27 and April 3, and on Monday, April 6, to begin the final week of drills.
The Jaguars’ first workout in full pads is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, March 21. Additional full-pad sessions are scheduled for March 23, 25 and 30 and April 1.
Two scrimmages are planned before the spring game: 3 p.m. Saturday, March 28, and 9 a.m. Saturday, April 4, at Murphy High School.
The annual Red-Blue spring game will be played at noon Saturday, April 11, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium as the first of several South Alabama sporting events that day. The nationally ranked Jaguar softball team will play a doubleheader against Georgia Southern, and the baseball team will host Appalachian State at 6:30 p.m.
Spring practice is the team’s first time on the field since its first postseason bowl appearance, against Bowling Green in the inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. South Alabama lost 32 seniors from that team, including 17 starters, and returns seven starters. Several players who transferred from UAB, including the Blazers’ starting quarterback, have joined the roster.
