MOBILE, Ala. — Major Applewhite will coach his first game as South Alabama’s head coach Saturday when the Jaguars open the 2024 season against North Texas at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
South Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite after being favored by as many as 8 points during the week. The Jaguars open conference play at Appalachian State on Sept. 19 after three non-conference games.
Coming Off First Bowl Win
South Alabama finished the 2023 season with a 59-10 win over Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl, the first bowl victory in program history. The 59 points were a school record against an FBS opponent. The win followed a 10-win season in 2022.
Less than a month after the bowl game, Nick Saban announced his retirement at Alabama, and the Crimson Tide hired Kalen DeBoer as his successor. Kane Wommack, who had coached South Alabama for three seasons, left to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator under DeBoer, with whom he had previously worked on the same staff at Indiana.
South Alabama Director of Athletics Joel Erdmann named Applewhite the fourth head coach in program history. Applewhite had spent the previous three seasons on Wommack’s staff as offensive coordinator and was familiar with the roster and the program’s recruiting.
Applewhite’s Background
South Alabama’s offense set several program records under Applewhite. The 2023 team scored a school-record 430 points and reached at least 55 points in three games, including back-to-back regular-season wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss and the bowl victory.
This will be Applewhite’s third season as a head coach. He led Houston to a 15-11 record over two seasons, with two bowl appearances and a win over a nationally ranked South Florida team.
Renewing an Old Sun Belt Matchup
North Texas was a member of the Sun Belt Conference from 2001 until leaving for Conference USA in 2013. The Mean Green and South Alabama met frequently in other sports, but the football teams have played only once, in 2012, North Texas’ final Sun Belt season and South Alabama’s first season playing a full FBS and Sun Belt schedule. North Texas won that game 24-14, and South Alabama finished 2-11. Saturday’s game is the first time North Texas will play a football game in Mobile against the Jaguars.
North Texas Under Eric Morris
Eric Morris enters his second season as North Texas head coach after going 5-7 in 2023. Since becoming offensive coordinator at Texas Tech in 2013, Morris has had offenses ranked in the top 25 of the FBS or FCS in eight of 11 seasons. At Texas Tech he worked with Mike Leach and Kliff Kingsbury and recruited and coached quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Morris went 24-18 in four seasons as head coach at Incarnate Word, reaching the FCS playoffs twice. His first team lost in the first round, and his final team went 10-3 before losing to top-ranked Stephen F. Austin in the second round. He then served as offensive coordinator at Washington State, which went 7-6 and lost to Fresno State in the LA Bowl after Morris had accepted the North Texas job.
North Texas added offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich from Oregon, where he was an assistant offensive line coach for a 2023 unit that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award. The Mean Green also hired linebackers coach Brian Odom from USC, where he coached inside linebackers, served as associate head coach for defense and was interim co-defensive coordinator in 2023.
Mean Green’s 2023 Numbers
North Texas was one of four FBS teams in 2023 with a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver, and one of five ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring, rushing, passing and total offense. The Mean Green led the American Athletic Conference and ranked sixth nationally in total offense at 495.8 yards per game, 12th in passing at 307.4 yards per game and 21st in both rushing (191.2 yards per game) and scoring (34.5 points per game).
Defensively, North Texas ranked 130th, last in the FBS, in total defense (476.4 yards per game, 6.56 yards per play) and rushing defense (255.2 yards per game, 5.63 yards per carry). The Mean Green ranked 128th in scoring defense at 37.08 points per game and 63rd in passing yards allowed at 221.2 per game.
New-Look Roster
North Texas has 77 new players for 2024, the most of any FBS program, including 36 transfers, tied with New Mexico State for the most in the FBS.
Quarterback Chandler Morris, a transfer from TCU, is listed as the starter. He played in 15 games at TCU and started six in 2023. Against Baylor in 2021 he threw for 461 yards and ran for 70.
Running back Ikaika Ragsdale played in two games last season before a season-ending injury; he rushed for 755 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. North Texas returns three of its top six receivers from 2023, who combined for 93 catches, 1,235 yards and 11 touchdowns. Damon Ward Jr. led that group with 39 catches for 487 yards and five touchdowns, including eight catches for 120 yards against Memphis.
Jordan Brown returns after leading the Mean Green with 83 tackles last season. North Texas added two transfers from Texas in the secondary to go with returners Jayven Anderson, who had 30 tackles as a freshman, and Evan Jackson, who had 27 tackles and three pass breakups.
South Alabama’s Returning Talent
South Alabama ranked 24th nationally in total offense in 2023 (440.2 yards per game), 27th in scoring (33.1 points per game), 32nd in passing (268.8 yards per game) and tied for 48th in rushing (172 yards per game). The defense ranked 15th in total defense (313.2 yards per game), tied for 19th in rushing defense (113.7), tied for 26th in scoring defense (21.0 points per game) and 28th in passing yards allowed (199.5).
Quarterback Gio Lopez, who preserved a year of eligibility while playing as a freshman in 2023, leads the offense. Receivers Jamaal Pritchett, Devin Voisin and Javon Ivory and tight end DJ Thomas-Jones return. Despite the departure of leading receiver Caullin Lacy and a season-ending injury to Voisin in the second game of 2023, the four returners combined for 109 receptions, 1,429 yards and 15 touchdowns. Voisin led the 2022 receivers with 871 yards and had 64 catches and five touchdowns.
Braylon McReynolds is listed as the starting running back, replacing 1,000-yard rusher La’Damian Webb. McReynolds was injured in the 2023 opener but played in five games, rushing for 260 yards on 46 carries and catching 17 passes for 141 yards. Kentrel Bullock, who had 476 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 83 carries, also returns. Freshman Fluff Bothwell is among the younger backs expected to contribute.
Offensive Line Changes
South Alabama’s offensive line lost three players during fall camp. Mississippi State transfer Jayden Hobson left the team, redshirt freshman John Ward was medically disqualified and starting left guard Lucas Taylor was medically retired from football.
The listed starting line from left to right is Jordan Davis, Kenton Jerido, Malachi Preciado, Reed Buys and Malachi Carney.
Defense and Special Teams
Will Windham, who has been on the staff for the previous three seasons, takes over as defensive coordinator and will call plays for the first time, replacing Corey Batoon. Defensive linemen Wy’Kevious Thomas, Ed Smith IV and Maurice Strong and defensive backs Ricky Fletcher, Jaden Voisin, Reggie Neely and Dallas Gamble return. Wolf linebacker Aakil Washington is the most experienced of the listed starting linebackers.
Punter Jack Martin returns, and Laith Marjan takes over placekicking and kickoff duties from Diego Guajardo, who graduated.
