MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football coach Joey Jones said the Jaguars made few changes to their depth chart coming out of preseason camp, while athletic director Joel Erdmann said season ticket sales are running ahead of last year as the program prepares for its West Alabama opener at Ladd-Peebles Stadium to begin its third season.
Jones and Erdmann appeared Tuesday on the season premiere of the Joey Jones Show with host Lee Shirvanian. South Alabama enters the season 17-0 in program history.
Offense: Bennett Leads, Baker Joins Backfield
The offensive line returns intact except for one spot vacated by Levi Slaydon, who did not return. Jermaine Smith and Brian Krauskopf are competing closely for that starting job. Kevin Helms and Paul Bennett return at tight end.
Georgia transfer Demetre Baker joins Kendall Houston in the backfield, and Jones said the two will be co-starters. Jones said the Jaguars have more established receivers than last season, when Courtney Smith was the featured target.
Jones singled out quarterback C.J. Bennett as the offensive standout of camp, citing his passing, his ability to read defenses and his growth as a leader. Behind Bennett, the depth chart lists Myles Gibbon or freshman Trey Fetner at No. 2. Jones said Fetner has moved up quickly with a strong arm and is even with Gibbon, who is in his third year. He said the team is fortunate to have three quarterbacks it can rely on.
Jones said most programs rarely rotate quarterbacks and that South Alabama did so in previous seasons because there was little difference among its top three. At running back and other positions, he said, rotation is necessary at the Division I level because of injuries.
Defense: New Faces in the Secondary
Cori Barnett starts at strongside linebacker, with Ken Barefield, a defensive back last season, as his backup. Jones said Barnett had a strong spring and earned a scholarship for his work in the offseason. He said Barnett is somewhat undersized but smart and plays very well, and that Barefield will still play a lot.
Anton Graphenreed is the only returning starter in the secondary. He is joined by newcomers Charles Harris, Damon Smith and Alabama transfer B.J. Scott. Jones said neither he nor defensive coordinator Bill Clark is concerned about the turnover, calling the group sound. He named Smith, a cornerback, the defensive standout of camp, describing him as a physical cover corner who has brought energy and is better than the staff expected when he arrived.
Final Preparations
Jones said the staff began working on the West Alabama game plan last week and moved into it fully Monday. A situational scrimmage Thursday will cover scenarios not yet addressed in practice and will be run like a game, including substitutions, so players learn to stay attentive on the sideline and enter and exit the field in an orderly way.
Erdmann said final touches are being put on Ladd-Peebles Stadium to create a unique game-day experience for South Alabama fans, including the implementation of instant replay.
Injury Report
Jones said the team is in good health after having as many as 22 players sidelined at one point in camp. Most returned Monday or Tuesday, with about six still out.
Freshman receiver Anthony Ingram had shoulder surgery and will miss the season but can be redshirted and retain four years of eligibility. Freshman running back Devin Robinson injured his hand and will be out three to four weeks. Running back Brandon Ross will likely miss the season, though Jones said he has an outside chance to return around midseason or later. Enrique Williams, listed as a starter for the opener despite missing much of camp, practiced Tuesday and is back with the team.
Season Tickets and Scheduling
Erdmann said it cannot be overstated what Jones and his staff have accomplished in building a program that did not exist about two years ago.
He said season ticket sales are ahead of last season’s pace. Erdmann noted that emerging programs, citing South Florida, typically see season ticket sales drop from year one to year two and drop most sharply from year two to year three, but that South Alabama has increased sales each year. He said the Jaguars rank second in the Sun Belt Conference in season ticket sales, behind only Troy, though he expects North Texas to gain with the opening of its new stadium this season. Erdmann said some Conference USA and Mid-American Conference schools would envy South Alabama’s numbers.
On the topic of an on-campus stadium, Erdmann said there is “no formal action” toward one, though both he and Jones said it would be nice to have.
Erdmann explained that South Alabama’s schedule has 10 games because UC Davis informed the university in February or March that it wanted to opt out of its contract, and South Alabama and Edward Waters mutually agreed to cancel their game. The UC Davis game was later in the season, allowing the athletic department to replace it with Mississippi Valley State. After confirming the 10-game schedule met the requirements for the two-year transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision, the school decided the remaining available opponents were not good fits. Erdmann said the schedule’s open weeks could prove advantageous.
Jones stressed that Division I-AA programs are still Division I, with 63 scholarships compared with 85 at the Division I-A level.
Recruiting and NCAA Issues
Jones said recruiting has changed significantly since the program’s first season, as high school coaches now know where South Alabama and Mobile are. He said the top need for the 2012 signing class is offensive linemen, followed by players at each defensive position and one or two tight ends. He said the Jaguars are in good shape at quarterback and running back. When recruits visit, the staff tries to pair them with current players they will be comfortable with, such as former high school teammates.
Discussing recent NCAA meetings on academic reform, cost containment and rules, the group noted that the Academic Progress Rate threshold was raised from 925 to 930 and that core course and test score requirements may increase. Jones said he would like to see more streamlined rules and a level playing field through enforcement.
Jones said he has cautioned players to present themselves and the program in a first-class way on social media. Erdmann said institutions are expected to monitor athletes’ social media accounts and conduct spot checks so they can intervene if improper contacts occur.
Addressing allegations involving the University of Miami program, Jones said he instructs his staff to recruit the player and his family and avoid third parties. Erdmann called the situation sad and said that, if the allegations are true, parts of Miami’s program could be in jeopardy. He said athletes are old enough to know better and are repeatedly warned.
