South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite and defensive coordinator Will Windham met with members of the media on Friday in advance of spring practice, which begins Thursday.

The Jaguars will work three times per week heading into the April 20 Red-Blue spring game. Details on the spring game (including kickoff time) have not yet been finalized.

“We’ve got goals on offense, defense and special teams, things that we want to see, schemes that we want to add, and players that we want to see in those roles,” said Applewhite, the former Jaguars offensive coordinator who took over in January after Kane Wommack’s departure to become Alabama’s defensive coordinator. “With the (transfer) portal opening back up in the spring, you don’t really know your roster until June. But we definitely have some things we need to accomplish team-wise this spring.”

Here are some notes from Friday’s media session:

• Safety Keith Gallmon and defensive lineman Maurice Strong are both still awaiting word from the NCAA on waivers they submitted to obtain a seventh season of eligibility, Applewhite said.

Gallmon, a starter for the Jaguars from 2019-21, missed all of 2022 with a torn pectoral (chest) muscle and all but two games in 2023 when he tore the other pec. Strong, a key backup on the South Alabama defensive front the last two seasons, missed all of 2020 and 2021 due to complications from a broken leg.

It’s not clear when Gallmon and Strong will hear definitive word on their status for 2024, but both will be allowed to practice while they wait.

• Thirteen members of South Alabama’s 2024 recruiting class are on campus and will participate in spring practice. That list includes four true freshman early-enrollees — quarterback Jared Hollins, cornerback Amarion Fortenberry and defensive linemen Nathan Jennings and Achilles Wood.

Also new to the program are two junior-college transfers: cornerback Jordan Scruggs and defensive lineman Jalyn Durgan. Both have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Then there are seven portal transfers: offensive lineman Malachi Preciado (Purdue), tight end Andrew Bench (Bowling Green), wide receiver Noah Toster (Chowan), defensive lineman Bryston Dixon (Georgia Tech), linebacker Aakil Washington (Liberty), safety Lardarius Webb Jr. (Oklahoma State) and kicker Laith Marjan (East Carolina).

• Freshman Gio Lopez enters the spring as the front-runner at quarterback, having thrown for 192 yards and run for 88 with four combined touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 59-10 victory over Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl while starter Carter Bradley was sideline with a knee injury.

Also on campus are Hollins — an all-state pick at Mary G. Montgomery High School in 2023 — and Bishop Davenport, a Utah State transfer who redshirted with the Jaguars last season. Applewhite said Lopez — who also started at midseason loss to Troy while Bradley was out — got valuable experience last season that he will carry into the fall.

“I think back to when I was playing, and it was a big leap going from scout team to the first team,” said Applewhite, who played quarterback at Texas from 1998-2001. “That experience is very individualized. … I imagine Gio had a ball or two, where he thought, ‘I’m gonna have to see that quicker next year.’ It’s about having those experiences and being honest and going back to you seeing it, saying ‘I was ready for this one, but not ready for that one.’”

There are no other quarterbacks on South Alabama’s spring roster, though it’s possible the Jaguars could add a walk-on — and potentially, another portal transfer — over the summer.

• Another position up for grabs this spring is center, where departed senior Reggie Smith started every game in 2023 following two years of James Jackson manning the position.

Applewhite mentioned Preciado, veterans Reed Buys and Kenton Jerido — both of whom started the bowl game at guard — and walk-on Sam Williams as other candidates at center. Former Mississippi State transfer Lucas Taylor has not yet been cleared to return after sitting out all of 2023 for non-football medical reasons, but could be by the end of spring, Applewhite said.

• Windham raved about Washington, who is expected to take over as the starting “Wolf” outside linebacker position vacated by 2023 standout Quentin Wilfawn. Washington, who has one season of eligibility remaining, enrolled at South Alabama in January after totaling 83 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, three pass breakups and one forced fumble in 34 career games with the Flames.

“That dude is going to be an integral part of our defense,” Windham said. “… He’s just got some natural stuff. I remember going to see him when he was in high school when I was at Kent State before (South Alabama). Even then watching him, we kind of knew what kind of guy we were getting through the recruiting process. He has been everything we expected and more.”

• The Jaguars are looking for a replacement for Yam Banks, a three-year starter at the Husky (nickel) safety position who left for Ole Miss via the transfer portal. Windham was non-committal as to who might be favored to fill that role, though he did mention former walk-on Christopher Wallace.

Tremel States-Jones, who redshirted in 2023 due to injury, also has experience at the position. Other potential candidates are senior Brian Dillard and sophomore Jamarrien Burt, both of whome played cornerback in 2023, but are now listed as safeties.

• Another safety import is Webb, the son of the former NFL cornerback and the cousin of ex-South Alabama running back La’Damian Webb. Lardarius Webb Jr. was recruited by the Jaguars both out of Jackson (Miss.) Academy and out of Jones (Miss.) College before finally landing in Mobile this spring following a year in Stillwater.

“I feel like we’ve been recruiting him for four years now,” Windham said. “Just getting him here, he has phenomenal feet and quickness. He’s got great twitch, and then his ability to cover and do some things. I’m really excited to see him when we get out in the spring. I think he’ll be a guy who will start to flash around and do some really good things.”

One scholarship player who did not return this spring is safety Karon Weary, who signed with the Jaguars out of East Marion (Miss.) High School in December 2022 and redshirted last season. Weary actually left the program prior to the bowl game, Applewhite said.

• South Alabama will hold its annual Pro Day for NFL, CFL and UFL scouts on Tuesday afternoon. Nearly the entire 2023 Jaguars senior class — including Bradley, linebackers Wilfawn and James Miller and running back La’Damian Webb — are expected to participate.

Also signed up is former South Alabama running back Jared Wilson, who finished his college career at Mississippi Valley State.