Football for the South Alabama Jaguars

Formed in 2009, the South Alabama Jaguars football team competes in the NCAA's highest division, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Situated in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC), South Alabama joined the FBS in 2012.

History [ edit ]

In the Joey Jones era (2008-2017), [ edit ]

The university's Board of Trustees officially added football as a varsity sport in 2008, but discussions about the sport's inclusion in the program began in December 2007. The club debuted in 2009, and it is scheduled to make the jump to Division I-A of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in full by 2013. Birmingham-Southern head coach Joey Jones was named the university's first ever head football coach on February 15, 2008, by President Gordon Moulton and Athletic Director Joe Gottfried. Ladd-Peebles Stadium[4] would serve as the team's home field until Hancock Whitney Stadium opens in 2020. [1]

In front of over 26,000 fans, the University of South Alabama Jaguars kicked off their inaugural football season on September 5, 2009 by defeating the Hargrave Military Academy 30-13. The squad went 7-0 in its inaugural campaign, outscoring its opponents 321-41.

The Jaguars increased their game total from seven in 2009 to ten in 2010. No junior colleges were included on the 2010 schedule, which featured only teams from Division I-FCS, Division II, and the NAIA. The second-year squad went undefeated with a perfect 10-0 record, outscoring its competition by a 413-130 margin.

South Alabama began its two-year transition period from unclassified to Division I FBS status in the 2011 season. In 2011, South competed as an unaffiliated team in Division I FCS. After canceling its contracts with UC Davis and Edward Waters College and only replacing them with a game against Mississippi Valley State, South only played 10 games in the 2011 season instead of the originally planned 11. Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Division I Football Championship Series, and Division II teams rounded out the 2011 schedule. South Alabama's televised games were a first. WJTC and ESPN3 both broadcast the 2011 season opener, which was played against West Alabama. The Jaguars' September 17th game against NC State was broadcast on ESPN3. The Jaguars had a winning record of 6-4 for the year.

The 2012 season marked the end of South Alabama's transition to full Division I-FBS status. The Jaguars started playing a full conference schedule against teams from the Sun Belt Conference, but they still couldn't play for the conference championship or any postseason bowl games. The Jaguars struggled in their non-conference games, going 1-4 with their lone win coming against Nicholls State (a FCS team). Sun Belt Conference play was another tough one for the Jaguars, as they went 1-7 overall with their lone win coming against Florida Atlantic. After a 2-11 season, the team ranked dead last in the Sun Belt.

For the 2013–14 season, South Alabama Jaguars of the Sun Belt Conference competed as a Division I FBS team. As a result, the Jaguars were able to compete for the Sun Belt title and a postseason bowl berth. The squad ended the season at 500 overall with a 6-6 record and a 4-2 home mark Jaguars football had a 4-3 record in Sun Belt Conference games.

As a result of their 6-6 record[8] at the end of the 2014 season, the South Alabama Jaguars qualified for bowl games for the second year in a row. After receiving an invitation to participate in the first-ever Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, university president Tony Waldrop accepted on behalf of the university and the football team on December 3. For South Alabama, this was their first ever bowl game. So, South Alabama became the youngest FBS team ever to make a bowl game, surpassing Florida Atlantic in just their fifth year of competition and second year of bowl eligibility. Jaguars and Bowling Green square off in the inaugural Camellia Bowl. (9) South Alabama was defeated in their first bowl game by the score of 33-28. [10]

In 2015, South Alabama's football team, coached by Joey Jones for the seventh time, competed in Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. Sun Belt Conference competition was familiar territory for the Jaguars. They finished in a five-way tie for fifth place in the Sun Belt Conference with a record of 7–7 overall and 3-5 in conference play. [11]

On the opening weekend of the 2016 season, South Alabama earned its first victory over an SEC opponent with a 21-20 victory over Mississippi State. [12] This was the first time the United States had ever beaten one of the other countries considered to be the "Power 5" The University of Alabama at They defeated No. 19 San Diego State by the score of 42-24. The Jaguars' season ended with a loss to Air Force in the Arizona Bowl, giving them a final record of 6-7. [13][14]

Joey Jones announced his resignation as head coach effective at the conclusion of the 2017 season on November 20.

Aeon of Steve Campbell (2019–2020) [ edit ]

Steve Campbell, formerly of Central Arkansas, was announced as South Alabama's new football coach for the 2018 season on December 7th, 2017. Campbell led South Alabama to a 3-9, 2-10, and 4-7 record in his three seasons as head coach. After a 29-0 loss to rival Troy in the 2020 season, he was fired from his position as head coach of the Jaguars and his tenure at the University ended. [15]

Time of Kane Wommack, 2021 to the present [ edit ]

Former South Alabama defensive coordinator and current Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was promoted to head coach of the Jaguars football team on December 12, 2020. Wommack's first season with the Jaguars saw an overall record of 5-7 and a conference record of 2-6. With Wommack at the helm, the team went 10-2 in his second year (7-1 in conference play) and to a bowl game for the first time since the Joey Jones era.

Institutional ties to conferences [ edit ]

Bowl games [ edit ]

Three bowl games have been played by the University of South Alabama. A winless performance in the bowl by the Jaguars.

Rivalries [ edit ]

Troy [ edit ]

Sun Belt Conference rivals South Alabama and Troy are also in-state rivals. Initially, the two institutions met in 2012. Through the 2022 season, Troy holds a commanding 8-3 series lead. [18]

Facilities [ edit ]

It's called Ladd-Peebles Stadium. [ edit ]

Since the formation of the South Alabama Jaguars football team in 2009, the team's home stadium has been Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Throughout Mobile's history, Ladd-Peebles has played an important role. On October 2, 1948, the according to whom?] Opened in 1948, the first event held inside the stadium was a college football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide faced off against the Vanderbilt Commodores. In addition to being the site of Bear Bryant's first game as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the stadium has a place of honor in Crimson Tide football lore. It has a current full capacity of 40,000 (according to Ladd Peebles stadium), and has hosted a wide variety of events, from concerts and boxing matches to festivals.

Stadium Hancock Whitney [ edit ]

On September 12, 2020, the South Alabama Jaguars and the Tulane Green Wave played in the inaugural game at South Alabama's new on-campus stadium, Hancock Whitney Stadium. [19]

[ edit ]

There is a 8,000-square-foot weight room in the South Alabama Football Fieldhouse, which is part of the building's total 49,000 square feet of space. It was built to impress potential new hires while also serving its intended purpose. The fieldhouse is equipped with a weight room, a team meeting room, individual position meeting rooms, a players lounge, and administrative offices, as well as a training room with hot and cold tubs and other medical needs. [20]

Jaguar's Indoor Training Facility [ edit ]

After its grand opening on August 3, 2018, the South Alabama Jaguar Training Center (JTC) became the largest indoor practice facility in Alabama. The University of... spent millions of dollars on this spectacle. The 65-foot-tall structure features a regulation-sized football field, a 15-yard practice area, and field goal posts at each end. The JTC collapsed in July 2017 due to "inadequate bracing," delaying its completion until January 2018. [22]

Traditions [ edit ]

#5 [ edit ]

Since South Alabama's second season, when running back Anthony Mostella tragically passed away, Coach Joey Jones has chosen a senior who has "earned it" to wear the No. 5 jersey in honor of Mostella. Mostella was a fan favorite because of his strong leadership and work ethic. To honor Mostella, Coach Joey Jones has given the #5 jersey in each of the past four seasons to a senior who has shown the same kind of leadership and dedication to the team that Mostella did. Steve Campbell ended this custom for the years 2018–2020, but Kane Wommack revived it in 2021 with a minor tweak. Rather than having one player wear the No. 5 jersey for the entire season, the jersey is rotated to a different player for each game. [24]

Homecoming [ edit ]

Homecoming, which had previously celebrated the school's varsity basketball team, has been officially relocated to the fall, where it will now support the football team.

In 2006, the students at the university attempted to organize a grass-roots movement in support of NCAA football by committing numerous acts of temporary, non-destructive vandalism across campus in a single night. They dubbed their actions "viva la resistance." Homecoming for the Jaguar football team has always included "junk the jungle," an event in which all the trees in the school's central traffic circle are covered in toilet paper and streamers. by whom?Since this mimics one of the pranks those college students played, it is presumed [by whom?] that it is done in their honor. The night also saw the writing of slogans like "NCAA football" and "We Want Football" in sidewalk chalk and the drawing of footballs on the windows of various campus buildings and walkways. The letters "NCAA" were also spray painted in large letters on the school's track field. Each prank was pulled off by a separate team, but in the end, all of the invited students took part in what was called "junking the jungle."

Competitors who are not currently in a conference but will be in the future [ edit ]

Schedules as of August 9, 2022, as announced [25]

References [ edit ]

Internet resources [ edit ]

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