One of South Alabama’s top defenders is on track to return for Saturday’s home game vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

Linebacker Quentin Wilfawn, who has missed two-plus games with a shoulder injury, practiced at full-speed Tuesday. The senior, who has 17 tackles this season, is expected to be back in the rotation on Saturday, if not in his regular starting spot at “Stinger” (weak inside) linebacker.

“Quentin is such a dynamic linebacker because of his blitz ability, plus he’s got a great feel in coverage,” head coach Kane Wommack said. “Fitting the run, that’s a prerequisite to the job as a linebacker, but he’s got such great feel and instincts. And so when you get players like that who make plays on the ball and understand how to win one-on-one matchups and pass rush, I think that gives us something at a different level in terms of our third-down consistency when we bring a linebacker (on a blitz).”

Wilfawn is among several key South Alabama players who have missed game and/or practice time of late, including tight end Brandon Crum, cornerback Jamar Richardson, offensive tackle Adrein Strickland and guard Dontae Lucas. All practiced Tuesday and are expected to play Saturday.

Since Wilfawn was injured midway through the Sept. 17 game at UCLA, the Jaguars have filled his spot with a combination of Trey Kiser and AJ DeShazor. Kiser currently leads the team with 25 tackles this season.

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South Alabama football practice

• South Alabama (4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) had an open date last Saturday, which means the team not only got an opportunity to rest, but also to just be regular football fans for one weekend.

Wommack said he hosted several friends and family at his home, and checked out numerous other games around the country. But perhaps no one had a more enjoyable day than offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, who watched his Texas Longhorns demolish Oklahoma 49-0 in the “Red River Rivalry” game in Dallas.

“I watched the game that mattered,” Applewhite deadpanned. “I was very happy with it. … It was very fun to watch. I enjoyed every second of it.”

Applewhite started at quarterback at Texas from 1998-2000, passing for 8,353 yards and 60 touchdowns as the Longhorns went 2-2 vs. Oklahoma. He also coached eight seasons at his alma mater, working on Mack Brown’s staff as a graduate assistant in 2003-04 and then as running backs coach and later quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator from 2008-13.

• Nickel safety Yam Banks will wear the honorary No. 5 jersey on Saturday. It’s the first such honor for Banks, a two-year starter at South Alabama’s “Husky” position.

“It means a lot,” Banks said. “It means I’m working and staying on my stuff. It is a great opportunity for me.”

Banks joins safety Keith Gallmon (Nicholls), cornerback Darrell Luter (Central Michigan), center James Jackson (UCLA), wide receiver Jalen Wayne (Louisiana Tech) and quarterback Desmond Trotter (Louisiana) in wearing the 5 jersey this season. The number is given to a different Jaguars player each game in honor of former South Alabama running back Anthony Mostella, who died in a 2010 motorcycle accident.

Banks, a sophomore from Ridgeland, Miss., has 13 tackles, four pass breakups, an interception and a fumble recovery in six games this season. He had 49 tackles and two forced fumbles in 12 games in 2021.

• The latest round of bowl projections have South Alabama headed to a number of locales — exotic and otherwise — for the postseason.

Two outlets have the Jaguars playing in the Dec. 21 New Orleans Bowl, which means they would be Sun Belt Conference champions. Both Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan and ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura project South Alabama to face in-state rival UAB (the presumptive Conference USA champ) in New Orleans.

USA Today’s Erick Smith, the staff of College Football News and ESPN’s Mark Schlabach all project South Alabama into the Camellia Bowl Dec. 27 in Montgomery. Smith and Schlabach have the Jaguars facing Eastern Michigan, CFN has them against Buffalo.

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm and 247 Sports’ Brad Crawford have the Jaguars in the Gasparilla Bowl Dec. 23 in Tampa, Fla. Palm has South Alabama vs. Virginia Tech, Crawford vs. Eastern Michigan.

Finally, the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy projects that South Alabama will stay home for bowl season, but still play in a postseason game. McMurphy has the Jaguars facing Ohio in the Dec. 17 LendingTree Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.

South Alabama needs two wins in its final seven games to be bowl-eligible. The Jaguars are 0-2 all-time in bowl games, losing to Bowling Green in the 2014 Camellia Bowl and to Air Force in the 2016 Arizona Bowl.

• South Alabama is back on the practice field Wednesday morning. Kickoff vs. ULM is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, with TV coverage by NFL Network.