it was but we're lowkey loaded at safety so don't mind it, he just had a crazy year so hope he balls out at AuburnCaptain Canada wrote: ↑17 Jul 2024, 11:35Losing Lardarius Webb Jr. must be a real kick in the ass. That transfer portal don't play
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I'm sure you will get to this at some point in the offseason but talent wise would you say you ended up with a net gain or net loss with recruiting and transfers in and out?
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Michigan!The Victory Lap.
Analyzing South Alabama's defense heading into fall camp
Doug Dunning -- 247 Sports South Alabama Insider
South Alabama surprised many by hanging with the LSU Tigers last year and finished the season with nine wins in Major Applewhite's first and only season as head coach of the Jaguars. With Applewhite in Chapel Hill now as OC of the Tar Heels, there are plenty of questions about its offense while the Jaguars defense returns a good chunk of key players and defensive coordinator Jerome Singleton.
Defensive End
Returning: SDE Jalyn Durgan (Sr), SDE Nathan Jennings (Rs-Fr), SDE Greg McTraylor (Rs-So), WDE Lamondre Brooks (Sr), WDE Jordan Norman (Rs-So), WDE Achilles Woods (So)
Additions: None
Losses: WDE Courtney McBride (graduation)
The loss of McBride is a big one but Lamondre Brooks seems poised to replace that production with eighteen tackles and three sacks last season on 458 snaps with a pick-six as well. Brooks might be an even better athlete than McBride so it essentially evens out and with the anticipated development from returning starter Jalyn Durgan, this unit could end up being even better than last season despite not adding any new players through high school recruiting or the transfer portal.
Depth is a concern at this position as outside of Durgan and Brooks, not a ton of experience at the position with most of them redshirting last year.
Nose Tackle
Returning: R.J. Moss Jr. (Rs-Jr), Josh Thurman (Rs-Jr), Randy Noble (Rs-Fr), Ed Smith IV (Rs-Jr)
Additions: 4-star HS George Diggs, 3-star transfer Quaylen Hill (Rs-Sr), 3-star transfer Quinzavious Warren (Rs-Sr)
Losses: Maurice Strong Jr. (graduation), Carlos Johnson Jr. (graduation), Venson Dobson (graduation)
The loss of Strong was a big one as he was South Alabama's best defensive linemen and a huge factor in their top ranked rush defense. While R.J. Moss Jr. can certainly replicate if not improve the production from a pass rushing standpoint, he just simply lacks the size at 266 pounds to be a true nose tackle in this odd front.
Enter transfers Hill (310 pounds) and Warren (330) who can play that role along with four-star recruit George Diggs who all figure to have prominent roles within this season by freeing up Moss to have those 1-on-1 with interior linemen where he completely whooped them last year.
Linebacker
Returning: OLB Dalton Hughes (Rs-Sr), OLB James Calhoun (Rs-Jr), OLB Gavin Forsha (Rs-Sr), OLB Dennis Overstreet (Jr), ILB Blayne Myrick (Rs-Jr), ILB Otis Cunningham (Rs-Sr)
Additions: 4-star ILB Coco Generals, 1-star OLB Akeem Hay, 1-star OLB Jordan Stacy, 1-star OLB Willie Winey
Losses: ILB Taylor Milton (graduation), OLB Aakil Washington (graduation)
Singleton swapped Calhoun and Myrick in the spring with Calhoun working out almost exclusively at WILL after playing MIKE linebacker last year and the opposite for Myrick, who started in the spring game.
Hughes seems to have the SAM spot locked up with not much competition while at inside linebacker, fall camp will be about how quickly four-star Coco Generals can get online and eventually overtake that MIKE linebacker spot or at least share it with Myrick. If Generals can live up to the hype, he should be able to subsidize the loss of Milton to graduation who by the end of last year was splitting time with Hughes and Calhoun anyway. The coaching staff is also high on Forsha, who didn't play much last year but has shown flashes throughout the spring and really pushed Calhoun since his arrival at the position.
The big loss is going to be Washington as the team don't have a natural replacement for him in terms of a pass rushing linebacker so it's very likely that the role is completely ignored this season and instead go with three linebackers that are good in coverage in Hughes, Calhoun and potentially Generals by end of year.
Cornerback
Returning: Ricky Fletcher (Sr), Reggie Neely (Rs-Sr), Jordan Scruggs (Rs-Sr), Trent McCain (Rs-So), Darrell Cox (Rs-Fr)
Additions: 3-star transfer Jayden Lewis (So), 3-star transfer William Hardrick (Rs-Sr), 3-star HS Ryan Wimbley
Losses: Dallas Gamble (graduation)
The Jags bring back essentially the entire room, losing a depth piece in Dallas Gamble but replacing him with Jayden Lewis and William Hardrick who are more talented players on top of a high school recruit in Ryan Wimbley who the staff projects to be an all-conference level player down the line.
Ricky Fletcher and Reggie Neely are two of the best corners in the Sun Belt and while they struggled in man coverage at times last season, they both returned an interception for a touchdown last season and improved as the year went on and the team started playing more and more zone.
They'll need to continue improving as the secondary did lose a lot of firepower at the safety position which does put more stress on the corners.
Safety
Returning: FS Wesley Miller (Rs-Jr), FS Cordell Hood (Rs-So), FS Tremel States-Jones (Rs-Jr), FS Jonathan Gatson (Rs-Fr), SS Jordan Buchanan (Rs-Jr), SS Christopher Wallace Jr. (Rs-Sr), SS Josh Bledsoe (Rs-So), SS Tevin McQueen (Rs-So), SS Amarion Fortenberry (Rs-Fr), SS Brian Dillard (Rs-Sr)
Additions: 3-star HS Alex Bitonio
Losses: FS Jaden Voisin (graduation), SS Lardarius Webb Jr. (transfer), SS Mike Harris (transfer)
The only position group that the defense undoubtedly regressed at year-over-year with the graduation of Jaden Voisin and Lardarius Webb Jr. transferring to Auburn.
By the end of the year, Miller was essentially the third starting safety, overtaking Mike Harris but he'll now make the move to free safety where he played and started at in the spring game for the Jags, doing a pretty good job.
Whose going to be next to him? Jordan Buchanan and Josh Bledsoe made the transition from corner to safety this spring which likely means that they're in contention to fill out that starting lineup although Christopher Wallace Jr. did get some playing time last season and did start the second half of the bowl game against Bowling Green and held his own.
There's also Tevin McQueen and Amarion Fortenberry who might be the best athletes of the group and unlike Buchanan and Bledsoe, spent all last year with the safety group in practice and aren't making a position switch.
Last edited by Soapy on 24 Jul 2024, 13:48, edited 1 time in total.
The Victory Lap.
South Alabama Announces 2025 Football Schedule
USA Jaguars.com Staff
MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama Football has released its official 2025 football schedule, headlined by a early season trip to Auburn where the Jaguars will look to upset the Tigers at home after coming close to upsetting LSU last year in Death Valley.
The Jaguars also rematch North Texas, who beat them last year in the home opener as the Mean Green went on to make the College Football Playoffs for the first time in school history. The other non-conference opponents are Tulane and Florida A&M.
South Alabama will open the season with a Sun Belt clash against Southern Miss before going through their non-conference schedule and resuming with three straight road games against UL Monroe, App State and Troy.
The upside is that South Alabama ends the season with three home games in their last four with the program hosting Louisiana on Senior Day.
2025 Schedule
Aug 30 vs. Southern Mississippi
Sep 6 vs. Tulane
Sep 13 at #13 Auburn
Sep 20 vs. Florida A&M
Sep 27 at #25 North Texas
Oct 4 at UL Monroe
Oct 11 at Appalachian State
OPEN
Oct 25 at Troy
OPEN
Nov 6 vs. Coastal Carolina
Nov 15 at Texas State
Nov 22 vs. Arkansas State
Nov 29 vs. Louisiana
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Captain Canada
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- Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 00:15
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Defense shaping up real well already. These write-ups are always excellent
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Seems like a net gain for you but I'm worried about the loss at safety and edge rusher. That's not a good combination.
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thanks brudda, doing a whole season in #1day was a dope feat but ultimately, my calling card is the thoroughness and attention to detail so going back to that bread and buttaCaptain Canada wrote: ↑17 Jul 2024, 15:10Defense shaping up real well already. These write-ups are always excellent
NOT SO FAST! We got a lot of guys at safety that I like, just need them to grow into the player I know they can be
