MOBILE, Ala. — Sun Belt Conference commissioner Wright Waters said South Alabama’s young football program has the potential to follow the path of Boise State, telling a Mobile audience that the Jaguars could become “the Boise State of the next decade.”
Waters made the remarks at Heron Lakes Country Club while speaking to the Cellular South 1st & 10 club.
“Not to put undue pressure on Joey or Joel or Gordon, but very honestly, South Alabama can be the Boise State of the next decade,” Waters said, referring to South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones, athletics director Joel Erdmann and university president Gordon Moulton.
Comparison to Boise State
Waters pointed to Boise State, which competed in Division I-AA in the mid-1990s before building itself into a nationally known program.
He said the qualities behind Boise State’s rise are also present at South Alabama, including its approach to recruiting and scheduling.
“They understand their recruiting area, they understand what’s important, they’ve done a great job of scheduling and I think those omens are here too,” Waters said. “As I look at future non-conference schedules for South Alabama, they’re not taking the $1.3 million guarantee, they’re doing it the right way and scheduling games home and away. They’ll be ready.”
Waters also cited the experience of South Alabama’s head coach. “Joey’s been there, done that, and that’s huge,” he said.
Sun Belt Football Turns 10
The 2010 season marks the 10th year the Sun Belt has sponsored a championship in football. Waters’ visit came as South Alabama continues building its program, which began play in 2009 under Jones and is preparing for its move into the Sun Belt and the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Troy, another Sun Belt member from Alabama, previously moved up to Division I-A football.
Conference Membership Outlook
The Sun Belt currently has nine football-playing members, and the addition of South Alabama will bring that number to 10. A conference needs at least 12 football schools to stage a football championship game.
The league’s overall membership, however, is shrinking. With the loss of the University of New Orleans and the pending departure of the University of Denver, the Sun Belt will have 11 member schools. Arkansas-Little Rock, which does not sponsor football, has not indicated any plans to add the sport, leaving a 12-team football lineup out of reach for now.
