Veteran South Alabama linebackers James Miller and Ke’Shun Brown are sidelined this spring while recovering from offseason surgery, and there has been no bigger beneficiary than Khalil Jacobs.

The sophomore from Niceville, Fla., has been getting first-team reps through the first three days of practice, splitting time between the Mike (strong inside) and Stinger (weak inside) positions. He’s working alongside senior Trey Kiser, the only one of the Jaguars’ top three inside linebackers from last season who is healthy this spring.

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“He’s so instinctive,” head coach Kane Wommack said of Jacobs. “He’s obviously a really good athlete and he has a knack for how to leverage the ball. From a blitz perspective, he’s probably got the most potential of anybody out of that linebacker corps. And we blitz a lot with those guys. We drop a defensive end, rush a linebacker, and we see him as an opportunity to really generate pass rush force from that position.

“So those are the things that are already standing out. Running this defense at a high level, making the checks, communication — he’s trying. It’s hit some, miss some right now, but that’s to be expected with a young guy.”

Jacobs played in 11 of 13 games as a true freshman last season, mostly on special teams but also getting some defensive reps later in the year. He finished with just four tackles and a quarterback hurry, but showed enough in practice and in games that South Alabama coaches were comfortable making some personnel shifts during the offseason.

Quentin Wilfawn, who began last season as the starter at Stinger but missed all but three games due to a neck injury that required surgery, was moved to Wolf (outside) linebacker prior to the spring. That left a core inside linebacker group of Miller, Kiser, Brown, Jacobs and redshirt freshmen Blayne Myrick and Chrystyile Caldwell for 2023 (multi-year contributor A.J. DeShazor exhausted his eligibility after the 2022 season).

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South Alabama football spring practice

As gifted as Jacobs is athletically, however, what’s impressed linebackers coach Will Windham most about the second-year player are his study habits.

“The thing that he’s done this offseason is he’s done a phenomenal job in the film room and learning the playbook,” Windham said. “He’s actually going to play both Mike and Stinger. By trade, I would say he’s probably a Stinger, but I’m having him play Mike all spring so he can kind of dual-train, so that way he can learn. If he can learn both, he’s going to bring more value.

“… And he’s done a phenomenal job learning. I can remember during winter break, I was home with my family and he was sending me text messages as he was watching film on his phone, asking about run fits and pass drops and things like that. He’s just hungry for the game.”

Kiser (6-foot, 224) was second on the 2022 South Alabama team in tackles with 76, tying for the top spot with 11 tackles for loss and adding two sacks. Miller (6-1, 228) was right behind him with 68 stops, 6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks and three pass breakups, while Brown (6-1, 229) added 39 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

At 6-2, 221, Jacobs fits right in with his compatriots size-wise, though he admits he’d like to add around 10 more pounds to his frame. More importantly, he’s worked on studying his playbook and getting comfortable as a player Jaguars coaches are counting on, both in 2023 and in the longer term.

“It’s been great,” Jacobs said. “I’ve been flying around all over the field in practice. I’ve been taking some Mike reps, Stinger reps, just trying to learn everything I can before the fall hits. … It’s important, just knowing what gap to go in and where your help is all over the field so you know where to go, either outside or inside. That really helps a lot when you’re watching film.”

Jacobs was a standout on an excellent Niceville High School team, totaling 60 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, seven sacks, seven pass breakups and four forced fumbles as a senior in 2021. Rated a three-star prospect by 247 Sports, he committed to South Alabama shortly after his senior season ended.

Niceville is less than two hours from Mobile by car, so there’s certainly a comfort level for Jacobs attending college and playing football so relatively close to home. More importantly, however, he says he hit it off with the Jaguars’ coaching staff.

“Coach Windham, that guy right there, he’s the man,” Jacobs said. “He knows what he’s talking about. He’s a smart guy and he’s real lovable and easy to get along with. I love that man. He made me feel at home here, so that’s why I came here.”

South Alabama returns to the practice field on Wednesday morning. The Red-White spring game is set for Saturday, April 15.