South Alabama signed 17 players in the early signing period Wednesday, the culmination of what head football coach Kane Wommack called a “banner year” in recruiting for the Jaguars.

Of South Alabama’s 17 signees, nine hail from inside the state and five from Coastal Alabama. Locally, the Jaguars signed Vigor wide receiver Jerrian Graham, Foley offensive lineman Logan Joellenbeck, St. Paul’s offensive lineman Asher Hale, Mary G. Montgomery quarterback Jared Hollins and a new addition Wednesday, Faith Academy defensive back Ty Goodwill.

“I think this is a banner year in recruiting for us,” Wommack said. “We’ve continued to get really good frames in here, young men from our regional footprint. We have started to recruit more in the high school market the last two classes, and hopefully those things pay off. You don’t fully know until they get here and they develop, but just the frames, the athleticism, the character of the young men that we’re bringing in here, I think we did a great job and were very thorough in our evaluation.”

Hollins (6-foot-4, 185 pounds) was the starting quarterback in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic over the weekend, in which Hale also played. Hollins passed for 2,749 yards and 29 touchdowns with just two interceptions and also added 419 yards and eight scores rushing in 13 games for the Vikings, who enjoyed the best season in school history with a 12-1 record and berth in the Class 7A state semifinals.

Hollins was a player who drew some Power 5 interest, but followed through on his long-time commitment to his hometown team. The January enrollee is expected to compete with 2023 freshman Gio Lopez to be the Jaguars’ quarterback of the future.

“We’re really excited about Jared Hollins,” Wommack said. “You’re talking about a young man from this area, that did a tremendous job turning that program at MGM around. Coach (Zach) Golson’s done a tremendous job obviously with the program, but also with Jared and his development over the last two years.

“When you watch him on film (or) watch a game in-person, he plays with a swagger and a confidence and he’s starting to take ownership of his team and his offense. You see those things and you recognize what that’s gonna look at the next level … Plus he’s a mid-year, so he’ll be here in January ready to roll and start competing for a job.”

Graham (6-2, 190) played mostly quarterback at Vigor in 2023, passing for eight touchdowns and rushing for five (he also caught one scoring pass). A state 100-meters champion in track and field, he is also expected to be a kick-returner for the Jaguars.

Goodwill (6-2, 192) is rated a 3-star prospect by 247 Sports. He was committed to Louisiana for several months before re-opening his recruitment last week, and also has scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Marshall, Liberty and Troy, among other schools.

Goodwill played both wide receiver and defensive back at Faith Academy, which finished 8-4 and reached the second round of the Class 5A playoffs in 2023. He totaled 50 receptions for 829 yards and 11 touchdowns (eight receiving, three rushing) on offense, and complied 70 tackles and six interceptions on defense.

“We’ve said all along, we’ve got to get our fair share of the best players in Mobile,” Wommack said. “And I think at the Group of 5 level, we’re doing it better than anybody else with Mobile-Baldwin County players. We are getting the best in this area. We’re fighting off some Power 5 teams for some of these players as well. … That, to me, is a recipe for success. There’s too much talent in this surrounding community to overlook.”

In addition to Goodwill, South Alabama another signee Wednesday who was not previously committed: defensive end Tyler Carter of Vicksburg, Miss. Carter joins a strong defensive line group that also includes longtime commitments Nathan Jennings of James Clemens High School and Achilles Wood of Decatur’s Austin High School, plus junior-college transfer Jalyn Durgan, who committed over the weekend.

Carter (6-6, 251) was previously committed to Mississippi State, but re-opened his recruitment on Dec. 10. A three-star prospect, he also has scholarship offers from Georgia Tech, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss, among other schools.

Carter earned Defensive MVP for the North team in last weekend’s Bernard Blackwell North/South All-Star game in Gulfport, totaling 10 tackles and 2.5 sacks in a 20-15 loss to the South. Carter compiled 51 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 2023 for his Vicksburg High team, which finished 7-4.

“These guys are really impressive frames that have some twitch on the outside, can do some special, special things,” Wommack said. “… It’s a pretty exciting class, when you look at the length and athleticism of our defensive linemen. And they’re all great young men. When the guys up front are the standard bearers of your program, you’ve got a chance to be successful (at) establishing the line of scrimmage.”

South Alabama did not formally announce two other signees, junior-college defensive back Jordan Scruggs and Purdue offensive line transfer Malachi Preciado. The 5-11, 185-pound Scruggs — who committed over the weekend — previously played on the Division II level before transferring to Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, and thus is not required to sign a National Letter of Intent with South Alabama.

Preciado (6-1, 310) was present in team gear at South Alabama’s practice on Wednesday, and thus is now locked in with the Jaguars. He is expected to compete for a starting job at center or guard in spring practice.

Finally, Oneonta running back Da’Marion “Fluff” Bothwell — a longtime South Alabama commitment — was not announced as a signee on Wednesday. Bothwell, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 4A Back of the Year in 2022 and North team Most Valuable Player in last weekend’s North-South All-Star Game at Hancock Whitney Stadium, is expected to officially sign with the Jaguars in February.

Here’s South Alabama’s full announced recruiting class for the 2024 early signing period:

South Alabama 2024 signing class (17)

Tyler Carter, DL, 6-6, 251, Vicksburg, Miss./Vicksburg HS

Damyrion “Dee” Darby, DB, 5-11, 175, Bassfield, Miss./Jefferson Davis HS

Jalyn Durgan, DE, 6-4, 250, Ocean Springs, Miss./East Mississippi CC

Will Felton, LB, 6-2, 215, Pelham/Pelham HS

Amarion Fortenberry, DB, 6-0, 170, Columbia, Miss./Columbia HS

Tynean “Ty” Goodwill, ATH, 6-2, 192, Mobile/Faith Academy

Charles Gurley, CB, 6-2, 180, New Orleans, La./St. Augustine HS

Jerrian Graham, WR, 6-2, 190, Prichard/Vigor HS

Asher Hale, OL, 6-5, 300, Mobile/St. Paul’s Episcopal School

Jared Hollins, QB, 6-4, 185, Mobile/Mary G. Montgomery HS

Nathan Jennings, DE, 6-4, 240, Madison/James Clemens HS

Logan Joellenbeck, OL, 6-6, 330, Foley/Foley HS

Davis Little, K, 6-0, 165, Cumming, Ga./South Forsyth HS

Will Loerzel, TE, 6-4, 245, New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman HS

Parker Shattuck, LB, 6-2, 215, LaGrange, Ga./LaGrange HS

Achilles Wood, DE, 6-4, 250, Decatur/Austin HS

*— Division I transfer