South Alabama returns all but a handful of key players from the 2022 team that recorded 10 victories and reached a bowl game for the first time in six years, but one position that did have extensive attrition was cornerback.

Two-year starter Darrell Luter and third cornerback Jamar Richardson have exhausted their eligibility, with only Marquise Robinson back among the Jaguars’ top three at the position this spring. The South Alabama cornerbacks also have a new position coach, with former Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson stepping in this spring to take over for the departed Dwike Wilson.

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“We’re young, that’s a fair, true statement,” Hopson said. “But I like their willingness and I like their motivation. They want to be good, they want to be successful. So I’ve got to get in there and coach and teach and they’ve got to take to that coaching. Our whole deal is, I want us to get better at one or two things every day. If we get better at two things on Wednesday compared to Monday, we’re making strides. I’m going to give them a thing or two every day to get better on, and hopefully, we’ll take that and get better on it. And we’ll grow throughout the spring.”

Robinson by far the most experienced corner on the South Alabama roster. The Crosby, Miss., native played in 11 games and started 10 in 2022, totaling 28 tackles and two pass breakups in his first season with the Jaguars after transferring in from Southwest Mississippi Community College.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Robinson is expected to hold down the field cornerback position again this season, with sophomore Ricky Fletcher and junior-college import Reggie Neely competing on the boundary side. That was a spot filled more than ably the last two seasons by Luter, an All-Sun Belt performer who is expected to be selected in the NFL draft later this month.

“I looked up to him,” Robinson said. “I came in last year and kind of fell under his wing. I was up here like six in the morning on Tuesdays with him, every day learning from him. He was real technique-sound. So I feel like I learned a lot from him.”

Cornerback is a position that tends to draw players with personality, and it appears Robinson is that individual for South Alabama. His mother nicknamed him “Cuddie” after one of her favorite movie characters, but he’s taken to calling himself “Slime” — meaning that he intends to “get all over” opposing receivers.

Whatever his name, Robinson said he takes his leadership role seriously. That’s another thing he picked up from Luter, though he’s much more talkative than his older former teammate.

“I try to set an example with my actions, like running to the ball every play,” Robinson said. “For instance a play might be like 60 yards down the field, but I make sure I run to the ball, trying to make sure the (other) guys pick up on good habits. And also I try to do a good job of making sure guys keep their head up and move on to the next play. That’s something you have to do at cornerback — have a short memory.”

Like Robinson, Neely came to South Alabama out of the Mississippi junior-college system. He totaled five interceptions and nine pass breakups in 2022 at East Mississippi Community College, one of the top two-year programs in the country.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Neely — a native of Memphis, Tenn. — was rated No. 23 among 2023 junior-college recruits by On3 Sports. He played two seasons at Tulane (appearing in just one game) before transferring to EMCC.

“I’m excited about what I see already from Reggie Neely,” head coach Kane Wommack said. “Athletically he has it. He’s a physical kid that is really starting to lean into what we’re doing. And so he just needs a million reps. Those are the guys, like Reggie, that will be the difference whether we have the depth that we need going into the season or not.”

Then there is Fletcher, one of the prize recruits in the Jaguars’ 2022 class out of Holmes County (Miss.) High School, where he won a pair of state championships. He played in all 13 games as a freshman and totaled five tackles, mostly on special teams.

At 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, Fletcher has great size for the cornerback position. He said he’s feeling much more comfortable this spring after getting his first taste of Division I football last fall.

“I feel like I improved a lot with experience, like mentally,” Fletcher said. “I’m just glad that I’m getting a lot of reps of this spring to be able to be very experienced going into the season.”

It is interesting to note that Robinson, Fletcher, Luter, Hopson and backup corner Dallas Gamble all are all natives of Mississippi, while Neely played junior college ball there. That’s partly due to recruiting roots, as both Wommack’s staff and that of predecessor Steve Campbell have long-time relationships with high school and junior-college coaches in that state.

But perhaps there’s something else at work here. Robinson theorizes that there’s just something different about players from his part of the world. “It’s that Mississippi grit,” Robinson said. “We’ve all got it — that grit for sure.”

South Alabama is back on the practice field Wednesday morning, leadingg into the second scrimmage of the spring on Friday. The annual Red-White spring game takes place at 10:15 a.m. April 15 at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

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South Alabama football spring practice