MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football summer conditioning is nearing its end, with the Jaguars less than a week away from opening preseason camp for the 2012 season, the program’s first with a full Football Bowl Subdivision schedule and a full Sun Belt Conference slate.
The Jaguars face a compressed calendar in their first full season of FBS play, with 13 games scheduled over a 14-week span.
Work in the Weight Room
Throughout the summer, Jaguars players have trained in the weight room under strength and conditioning coach Justin Schwind. Under NCAA rules, Schwind is the only member of the staff permitted to work directly with players during the summer period, which makes the workouts voluntary.
The summer program has been the main point of contact between players and staff in the weeks leading up to camp, with Schwind overseeing lifting and conditioning sessions as the roster prepares for the demands of a longer season.
Player Leadership Groups
To maintain accountability during the voluntary period, head coach Joey Jones and his staff selected 11 players to serve as leaders of smaller groups within the team. Each of those players was responsible for holding his group accountable during summer workouts.
According to reports from within the program, the player leaders have carried out that role effectively over the summer.
Looking Ahead to Camp
Jones, who has led South Alabama since the program was established and its first season of play in 2009, will open preseason practice in early August. The 2012 season marks the Jaguars’ first year as a full Sun Belt Conference football member, and the team will play its home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile.
Camp will begin the on-field preparation for the 13-game schedule.
