MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama football head coach Joey Jones participated in the team's annual media day Thursday at the football field house.

Highlights from the press conferences include:

Head coach Joey Jones
Opening statement:
"I'm really excited about this team, for the first time we have real depth at every position which is very exciting for our staff.  We knew going into the season as we looked at our depth chart there were guys behind the No. 1s and No. 2s who can play, it's very exciting to know that as a coach because in [NCAA] Division I football there tends to be some injuries from time to time; we've had our share of them.  It's good to see that we have depth, that's a reassuring thing."

On last season's performance in non-conference vs. Sun Belt Conference games:
"The biggest thing was we didn't win on the road, we were 0-4 on the road in the conference.  We had some close games on the road but just didn't finish, it's that fine line where winning those kind of games gets you to eight or nine wins where we desire to be.  We have to win on the road, which was the biggest deal [last season]."

On the team's leadership:
"We were in a meeting yesterday with our leadership council, we have some great guys.  They have really impressed me, those guys really care about this football team and want to make things happen.  They know what we have to do to get there, they are not just talkers but true leaders.  I'm excited about these guys and what they are able to do, it makes me feel a lot more comfortable when we have guys on the team like that."

On the competition at quarterback:
"Right now Cole [Garvin] and Dallas [Davis] are neck and neck.  Dallas is coming back off an injury and has looked really good the last two or three days and Cole has had some great practices; those two, to me, are really shining.  And Evan Orth is having a good camp, they may just be a shade above him right now.  We're going to keep putting them in in practice and letting them fight it out, we'll see after tomorrow.  My plan is to make a choice after next week, which gives us two weeks to enter the season, I should have that done."

On what he wants to see in the second preseason scrimmage on Friday:
"In the first scrimmage both our offense and defense ran things they wanted to see on film, they didn't call the scrimmage like a game.  I told the coordinators yesterday that I want to see you win, so do what you have to do.  I don't care about plays, let the offense and the defense have success.  We're looking for that, and we're looking for execution from our players.  We've focused on a great attitude, great effort and being a disciplined team, but until you put it out there on the field and you execute great it doesn't mean anything.  We've been doing this thing since January to get to this point playing games; I told them tomorrow is just like a game for us, we need to treat it like that.  I have no doubt in my mind that these kids will, I think this group is going to be pretty special."

On the team's brotherhood mentality:
"Certainly I and my staff stress it, but I think at the end of the day the players have to make it happen.  They hear us talk about leadership, togetherness and building a team, but until they do it and are handling it in that locker room and out there on the practice field when coaches aren't around it's not going to make a hill of beans.  I think this group really understands that, but the proof is in the pudding — we'll see how that goes — but right now I really feel good about our leadership."

On Jeremy Reaves:
"He's certainly developed as a player — he's gained weight, he's gotten faster — but the way he has grown the most in my opinion is through his leadership.  He wasn't a bad leader at any time, but he didn't really stand out his first couple of years.  He is taking over leading right now, he talked about it yesterday in a meeting how much it means to him to have those guys follow him.  He said 'If I don't do it, they are not going to do it.  If I have a bad attitude, if I have a bad play and I drop my head, the other players are going to do that.'  He is one of those confident guys that we have on our team who you need out there on the field."

On Neiko Robinson:
"Neiko is a competitor, in the game he is as competitive as anyone we have on the field.  I need him to lead a little bit more vocally — I'm not going to push him if he can't — and he needs to lead by example as well, and he's done that.  He is a fighter, he is one of the most passionate guys on the field.  When other players see him that way, they realize they are in a fight and that he will be fighting with them."

On comparing the team's health to last year:
"I won't say it's night and day but we have a lot less injuries.  Maybe it is going to bounce our way this year, we've had a lot of close calls out there we thought were knee injuries that came up as bruises and things like that."

On if, in building the program, he thought this year was going to be the first time with this kind of depth:
"I don't know that I picked out a particular year.  Every new program I studied started fairly well by signing a lot of players early, then around that fourth and fifth year they would graduate two classes together.  We lost 55 players in two years three or four years ago, which is hard to overcome.  I knew it was coming, you do all you can to fix it and buffer it.  Right now, for the first time since I've been here, I see depth on the team where we truly have twos.  We're going to plays guys at a position and rotate them; one may be a little better than the other, but it's hardly going to make a difference.  And we're a young ball team this year, we're going to have around 17 returning starters for next year.  The depth is there, this program is set now.  It's not where I want it to be from the standpoint of where we want to be, but from the standpoint of depth it's the most exciting time for me."

On Rocel McWilliams:
"He's gained a lot of weight — he's probably put on 20 pounds since he got here — and has been a force on the defensive line.  He's added depth at end, he can rotate in there just as good as our ones.  He's proven he can win for us."

On special teams:
"Corliss' [Waitman] issue last year was as a young guy he was inconsistent at times; he could boom the ball 60 yards but he might not the next time.  What I have seen from him is consistency, he is hitting every ball solid.  That's going to be huge for us.  He has had a great camp.  I don't think Gavin Patterson — who was our kicker last year — has missed a field goal in any of our team situations yet; we've kicked close to 30 and he's kicked over half of those.  And Frankie Onate has come in and looked good, he has missed only one.  This is the first time we've been that consistent on field goals, we're just solid right now.  We have two snappers as well, so we have depth.  The only question mark I have is about the back-up punter right now, Corliss is certainly our starter but we have to work hard to get a back-up there."

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