NEW ORLEANS – University of South Alabama football head coach Joey Jones sat down with the media Monday as part of 2015 Sun Belt Conference Media Day at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

A few highlights from the Jaguar head coach are below:

Opening statement:
"We had a good year last year, going to our first bowl game was a big deal for us.  But our guys want to achieve more, they want to win a bowl game and a conference championship — those are our two goals.  We have some great leadership on this football team, probably the best we've had; these guys are meeting once a week, talking to all the players and doing things behind the scenes that make a team great.  Everybody knows we had 31 seniors last year who graduated — including 17 starters — and is concerned about that, and I am too.  But if you could look in that locker room, be around the guys and be on the practice field with them, maybe we will surprise some people this fall."

On the potential impact Alabama-Birmingham transfers will have on the team this year:
"We've got several.  I think Cameron Blankenship will start for us at right guard, he's a tough, athletic football player.  Cody Clements has a chance to be the starting quarterback, I feel real good about him, and D.J. Vinson is doing really well at the slot receiver.  Gerald Everett is doing extremely well, he's a lot like Wes Saxton in that he's an athletic tight end.  I could go on and on, but those are some of the guys who have shown that they can really play the game.  The great thing is they have been able to take our system, which [assistant] coach [Bryant] Vincent brought from here to UAB last year, so there was no learning curve with terminology.  From day one [of spring practice] they were able to play at a high level.  With us losing so many seniors and starters, they have been able to fill some voids on offense that were highly needed."

On the leadership he's seen in this year's senior class:
"I think they have stepped up well in that regard.  I've been extremely impressed with their ability to lead.  Talking about leading and leading is two different things, and I think these guys are truly leading every day.  We've had some great leadership in the past and they have learned from those guys, just like you learn from your parents."

On what Chris May means to the offense:
"He's completely changed in that regard.  Chris' attitude is A-plus, his effort is A-plus, he's a great athlete.  I expect great things out of him not only on the field — protecting our quarterback and run blocking — but also as a guy who can lead, which is going to bring some of these young guys along.  I've been real impressed with Chris May."

On the experience gained playing at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:
"Every time I think about coming on the field for that game, I think it's one of the most emotional moments I've ever been involved in.  To see our players who had fought to get there all those years, and to look up into the stands and see all of our fans who had come up from Mobile, all of our alumni who had come from across the Southeast yelling as loud as they could, it was a chilling moment.  It was a moment that I and all of our players had dreamed about, so it's exciting that we were able to do that in our second year as an NCAA Division I program."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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