South Alabama has reached roughly the midway point of spring football practice, with practice No. 7 (of 15) set for Thursday night and the first scrimmage of spring scheduled for Saturday.

Head coach Major Applewhite and his staff have been mixing and matching the roster during 11 on 11 drills in practice, looking to find the right combinations at various position groups. There has been no set depth chart, he said.

“We’ve still got a long way to go; we’re a long ways from the season,” Applewhite said. “We’re still learning. Some are still learning how to practice. But I’m seeing good things in terms of the communication out on the field. I’m very pleased with the speed in which we’re practicing, the physicality in which we’re practicing.

“We are intentionally rotating the groups. There’s not a depth chart. I want to see people play with other groups. I always felt like as a backup quarterback (as a player), you’re at a disadvantage because you have the second-team line, the second-team wideouts. … But I feel like the speed and the physicality of our practice is good.”

Among those veteran players Applewhite noted as having had a strong spring are quarterback Gio Lopez, offensive tackle Jordan Davis, tight end Trent Thomas, linebackers Aakil Washington and Darius McKenzie, cornerbacks Ricky Fletcher and safeties Mike Harris and Wesley Miller. The Jaguars have also worked in 18 newcomers — 12 from the transfer portal, three from junior college and three high school early-enrollees.

Petrino brings experience, flexibility to new role

Applewhite made a bit of an unusual move following the departure of offensive coordinator Rob Ezell to Wake Forest during the offseason. He designated receivers coach Paul Petrino as offensive coordinator and made himself the full-time quarterbacks coach (Applewhite held both jobs at South Alabama prior to becoming head coach prior to the 2024 season).

The fiery Petrino — whose voice is easy to pick out on the practice field — has extensive experience as an offensive coordinator and/or play-caller in college football. He’s been OC at Louisville, Arkansas, Illinois and Central Michigan, in addition to a nine-year stint as head coach at Idaho.

“He’s been around a lot of different offensive football, so he knows there’s a lot of ways to score,” Applewhite said. “He’s not married to one way of doing it. We all have preferences as coaches, don’t get me wrong. But he’s been in different styles, different systems, so he understands how people get to things. He has been part of the passing game in this offense, and he has coached quarterbacks, so he sees things through his eyes, and he believes in culture and how you do things more than what you do. That, to me, is very, very important.”

Applewhite will be assisted in quarterback coaching duties by analysts Doug Ruse and Zach Crisler. Ruse has been part of the South Alabama staff since 2021, while Crisler returned to the Jaguars after working last year at Auburn.

Linebacker injuries have allowed Jaguars to build depth

Blayne Myrick and Dalton Hughes — two of South Alabama’s top three returning inside linebackers — have missed the entire spring recovering from surgery, which has been good news for a number of younger players at the position.

In addition to veterans Darius McKenzie and Chrystyile Caldwell, youngsters such as Parker Shattuck and newcomer Caleb Dozier have gotten extended snaps this spring. Dozier, a Georgia Tech transfer, has been one of the most-impressive members of the Jaguars’ 12-man transfer portal class that arrived in January.

“Depth’s definitely been coming along great,” McKenzie said. “We’ve got young guys like Parker Shattuck, who played last year. I feel very confident on that field with him. Also, Caleb Dozier, who just transferred in. He’s been a great addition to the linebacker room. Very smart, talented, athletic, great chemistry on the field.

“And even guys like (walk-ons Jacob) Porco and Jordan (Williams), just working their way up into rotation. It’s been a great spring for all of us, just working our way in, helping each other, learning the defense, and just being able to go out there and have fun.”

Myrick, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, led the Jaguars with 101 tackles last season. McKenzie — who transferred in from Maine, an FCS program — was third on the team with 72 stops, while Hughes had 14 tackles in just three games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Defensive line must replace some stalwarts

For several years, the South Alabama defensive line has been the leading unit on that side of the ball, a group loaded with talent and depth.

However, the departure of veterans Wy’Kevious Thomas, Maurice Strong and Carlos Johnson after the 2024 season — plus the transfer of Jordan Norman to Tulane — has left the position group with questions heading into spring. Senior Ed Smith is one of the few returning players with multiple years of experience on the line, though UAB transfer Tyler Thomas, among others, got meaningful playing time last season.

“I feel like I’ve already been in that (leadership) role,” Smith said. “But yeah, I loved those veteran guys, especially coming in as a freshman and how they took me in. I’m just trying to do the same for these young guys. I’m a little bit more aggressive, but nonetheless, I just want the best for our guys.”

In addition, the Jaguars had two coaching changes during the offseason after 2024 line coach Jonathan Bradley left to join college teammate Jerry Mack’s staff Kennesaw State. Bradley was first replaced by Ced Douglas, who stayed only a few weeks before taking a job at Georgia Southern.

Jerone Steckel was hired last month as South Alabama’s third line coach in five months. He spent last season at Eastern Michigan and has also coached at Southeast Missouri.

Jaguars looking to engage students with night practice

South Alabama will hold a rare night practice on Thursday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, an event that has been designated as “Student Night.”

The Jaguars will hold an open practice beginning at 6:15 p.m., with various student competitions also included. The first 250 students through the gate at Hancock Whitney Stadium will receive free food.

“I’ve told our staff and players it’s practice for us, but we’ve got it segmented where there’s some times in practice, there’s a brief break, and there’s some activities with the players and the students to do some competitions and things like that,” Applewhite said. “We’re going to feed the first few students that come out there for free. We just want to connect.”