The extra eligibility granted to NCAA athletes after the COVID pandemic has made college football an “older” sport across the board, but even that doesn’t account for Jack Brooks’ veteran status.

Brooks, in his fourth season as South Alabama’s primary punter, is 29 years old and would be the rare 30-year-old college football player if he elects to come back for a fifth year in 2023. The Wagga Wagga, Australia, native came to American football late, playing club rugby as a youth and working as a landscaper for several years before entering the famed ProKick Australia program and eventually landing with the Jaguars in 2018.

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Brooks is actually closer in age to head coach South Alabama Kane Wommack — who is 35 — than most of his teammates. He’s not quite enough to be their father, but it’s close.

“The age gap is very different, but I just try to help the boys out in any way possible,” Brooks said. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, coming back for what would be my fifth year. But I’m just taking it as it goes and I’m happy here.”

In addition to his punting chores, Brooks is also the middle of the “chain” on field goals and extra points, working as holder between snapper Travis Drosos and kicker Diego Guajardo. The threesome is a perfect 11-for-11 on field goals and 25-for-26 on extra points, with the lone miss a kick that caromed off both uprights before falling to the ground at Central Michigan in Week 2.

Brooks has averaged a steady 42.3 yards per punt in his South Alabama career, averaging between 41.7 and 43.1 each season. That dependability led Wommack to reward him this week with the honorary No. 5 jersey, which he’ll wear Saturday when the Jaguars (5-2, 2-1 Sun Belt) travel to Arkansas State (2-6, 1-4).

“For a locker room full of 18- to 22-year-olds, he’s the best 29-year-old teammate you could ask for,” Wommack said. “He’s a great teammate. Sometimes specialists get that stigma, that all they do is they go out and punt and kick, but he works his tail off in the weight room. He always is looking to hang with his teammates and engage those guys in a fun way. And he brings energy to practice every day and then he produces on game day.”

Said Brooks, “That’s a big honor and a privilege. I’ve been a part of this team for a long time and I always try to do my best in whatever role I have.”

The No. 5 jersey is awarded each week to a different South Alabama player in honor of Anthony Mostella, a former Jaguars running back who died in a 2010 motorcycle accident. Previous awardees this season are safety Keith Gallmon (Nicholls), cornerback Darrell Luter (Central Michigan), center James Jackson (UCLA), wide receiver Jalen Wayne (Louisiana Tech), quarterback Desmond Trotter (Louisiana), safety Yam Banks (Louisiana-Monroe) and quarterback Carter Bradley (Troy).

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South Alabama football practice

• South Alabama rushed for a season-low 31 yards in last week’s 10-6 loss to Troy, with the Jaguars all but abandoning the ground game in the second half.

After runs of 15 and 7 yards on their opening possession and an 11-yarder to set up a field goal just before halftime, the Jaguars’ longest rush in the second half went for 5 yards. Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite said there was plenty of blame to go around.

“I’m going to start with me, there are some things in the run game that we can get to that are our better runs,” Applewhite said. “At the same time, we don’t put anything on our call sheet that’s not a good run. So, we need to execute. We need to use the right technique. All those things from a run game standpoint.

“But that’s in every phase, whether it’s in the passing game and the quarterback’s eyes and pocket presence. It’s on the receiver and how he is running the route. Those are the things that you go back and look at after a loss and examine more closely than you do after a win. Those are some things that we need to clean up, and a good defense like that is going to expose those things that we talked about. Everybody took a turn in terms of the ten possessions that we had.”

Starting running back La’Damian Webb, just back from a rib/hip injury, ran for just 14 yards on eight carries vs. Troy. He was averaging better than 95 yards per game through South Alabama’s first five, then was injured on his second carry Oct. 15 vs. Louisiana-Monroe.

• Arkansas State is expected to have James Blackman back for Saturday’s game after the veteran quarterback missed last week’s loss to Louisiana due to injury.

Blackman, a Florida State transfer, has thrown for 1,695 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception this year. AJ Mayer started in Blackman’s place last week and went 8-for-23 for 155 yards and a touchdown with an interception before he was also injured and true freshman Jaxson Dailey finished things up in the Red Wolves’ 38-18 loss.

“Their quarterback, James Blackman, is an athletic, long player that plays with a lot of confidence,” South Alabama defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said. “I think he’s got a really strong arm. He throws a really nice deep ball.”

Arkansas State ranks sixth in the Sun Belt in scoring at 28.8 points per game, but 12th in points allowed at 31.1. During their three-game losing streak, the Red Wolves have been outscored 100-57, an average of two touchdowns per game.

• The latest bowl projections for South Alabama are all over the map, as you might expect after the loss to Troy dropped the Jaguars out of first place in the Sun Belt West Division.

USA Today’s Erick Smith still projects the Jaguars to win the Sun Belt championship and go to the New Orleans Bowl Dec. 21. Under that scenario, Smith pairs South Alabama up with Texas-San Antonio.

Brad Crawford of 247 Sports also has South Alabama facing UTSA, but in the Cure Bowl Dec. 16 in Orlando. CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm projects the Jaguars to the Frisco Bowl Dec. 17 in Frisco, Texas, vs. Fresno State.

ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura has South Alabama in the Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl Dec. 20 vs. Rice. Colleague Mark Schlabach projects the Jaguars to go to Montgomery for the Dec. 27 Camellia Bowl vs. Buffalo.

Athlon’s Steve Lassan also has South Alabama in the Camellia Bowl, but vs. Kent State. The Jaguars played in the inaugural bowl game at Cramton Bowl in 2014, losing to Bowling Green.

College Football News and The Sporting News’ Bill Bender both have the Jaguars playing in their home stadium for the LendingTree Bowl Dec. 17. And both predict South Alabama will face Buffalo.

• Kickoff Saturday is set for 3 p.m. at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark. The game will be televised live via ESPNU.