South Alabama’s first spring under new head coach Major Applewhite is complete.

The Jaguars held their spring game on Saturday, an intentionally “vanilla” affair designed not to reveal too much to outside observers. Applewhite — who took over in January following the departure of Kane Wommack to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator — estimated South Alabama used 10% of its offensive scheme during the two 20-minute halves and red-zone periods, the better to retain the element of surprise for the 2024 season.

But there are still conclusions to draw, both from the game and the 14 practices that came before. Here are a few of them:

1. The quarterback competition is far from settled

Redshirt freshman Gio Lopez entered spring practice coming off an MVP performance in the 68 Ventures Bowl, so it stood to reason that he would have a huge advantage in winning the starting job outright during March and April. But it appeared that redshirt sophomore Bishop Davenport and even true freshman Jared Hollins made up ground during the spring, so the competition will definitely continue into the fall. Mobile native Brett Nezat, who began his career at Arkansas State and also played at West Florida, will join the program as a walk-on over the summer. It’s also likely, if not certain, that the Jaguars will add a scholarship quarterback out of the transfer portal, in order to spice things up even more.

2. The offensive line has built some depth, versatility

A number of scholarship offensive linemen missed part or all of the spring due to injury or offseason surgery, allowing the Jaguars to work younger players extensively and in different combinations. Just two positions seem settled coming out of the spring — left tackle, where Jordan Davis is a returning starter; and center, where Purdue transfer Malachi Preciado seized the job and never gave it up. Versatile sophomore Malachi Carney showed the ability to play both tackles, while two-year starting tackle Adrein Strickland worked quite a bit at guard. Mississippi State transfer Lucas Taylor, sidelined all of last season for medical reasons, also was working as a first-team guard by spring’s end. Kenton Jerido and Reed Buys, the latter of whom missed the entire spring, have both shown the ability to play center and guard.

3. A number of newcomers will be impact players in 2024

In addition to Preciado, a handful of other newcomers were holding down starting or rotational jobs by the end of spring. Liberty transfer Aakil Washington is expected to be the starting Wolf (outside) linebacker, while Oklahoma State transfer Lardarius Webb Jr. was working with the first team at Husky (nickel) safety most of the spring. Bowling Green transfer Andrew Bench is expected to play extensively at tight end alongside veteran DJ Thomas-Jones and redshirt freshman Trent Thomas. At cornerback, junior-college transfer Jordan Scruggs should play quite a bit in 2024, while true freshman Amarion Fortenberry could also see the field after participating in spring practice. East Carolina transfer Laith Marjan was the first-team kicker at spring’s end, though he is likely to be challenged by freshman signee Davis Little in the fall.

4. At least structurally, fans might not notice a lot of difference

In the interest of continuity following the late departure of Wommack and defensive coordinator Corey Batoon (who left for Missouri in late January), South Alabama kept its offensive and defensive concepts largely the same from 2023 this spring. There could be subtle changes, particularly on defense as new coordinator Will Windham seeks to put his own stamp on the 4-2-5 defensive look the Jaguars utilized under Wommack. The offense shouldn’t change much, at least conceptually, as Applewhite and new coordinator Rob Ezell have worked together for years. Assuming he wins the job in the fall, Lopez’s mobility at quarterback could give South Alabama an added dimension of the designed quarterback run, which we haven’t seen in recent years. It will also be worth watching as to how play-calling and game-planning might change now that Applewhite is head coach rather than the defensive-minded Wommack.

5. The Jaguars still have some needs to fill in the portal

South Alabama entered spring practice with roughly 65 scholarship players, and has another 14 freshman signees due to arrive in June. That leaves around six (of a maximum 85) slots to be filled through the portal, though there will likely be a handful of current Jaguars who leave the program on their own and increase the number of openings. Along with a quarterback, look for South Alabama to bring in an offensive linemen or two, multiple defensive linemen and at least one outside linebacker. In addition, the Jaguars have five senior wide receivers, three senior tight ends and three senior safeties, so some multi-year players who can help in 2025 and beyond will likely be targeted as well at those positions.

South Alabama opens the 2024 season at home Aug. 31 vs. North Texas.