Date: 8/14
Position: Linebackers
Position Coach: Kane Wommack
Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Darrell Songy (13 GP, 57-43 — 100 TT, 7.5 TFL, 1.0 sacks, 1 PB, 4 QBH, 1 FR, 1 FF); Bull Barge (13 GP, 21-33 — 54 TT, 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 3 QBH, 1 FF)
Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Roman Buchanan (13 GP, 50-36 — 86 TT, 11.0 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PB, 1 QBH, 1 FF)
Newcomers (Yr., Previous school): Kendric Haynes (Fr., Murphy High School)
Miscellaneous Notes
-South returns two letterwinners at the position in Darrell Songy and Bull Barge.
-In his first season in Mobile, Songy led the club and ranked 11th in the Sun Belt in tackles with 7.7 per game. His 100 total tackles were 10th most in the league and eighth-most among SBC linebackers, while he led the team in both assisted (43) and solo (57) tackles. His 100 total tackles marked just the sixth time a South Alabama player has done so in a single season.
-Songy was named to the Sun Belt's All-Newcomer Team following the 2016 season and he was selected to both the preseason third-team all-Sun Belt Conference by Phil Steele Publications as well as Athlon Sports this summer.
-Songy led the squad in tackles on a team-high four occasions and posted a career-high 16 tackles against Air Force at the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl which were the most by a Jag last season and fifth-most all-time in program history.
-In his second season with the program, Barge was credited with a career-high 54 tackles, which included 2½ behind the line of scrimmage in 2016. He had a career-high nine stops in his first career start against Georgia Southern.
-South also returns four players — Taji Stewart, Khalil McDonald, Blake Worthy, John Robinson and Riley Cole — who were on the roster a year ago.
-Stewart saw time in eight games making four stops, while Cole competed in three contests with four stops before suffering a knee injury in the third game of the season. Robinson also competed in six games registering three total tackles.
-A linebacker has led the Jaguars in total stops in all but one of the program's first eight seasons of competition, including each of the last three seasons.
-Roman Buchanan was second on the roster in tackles (50-36—86) and earned honorable mention all-Sun Belt accolades as a senior, while also ending his career ranked second on the all-time list in career total tackles (262) and solo tackles (155) and third in assisted tackles (107).
Kane Wommack
-On the strength of the unit: "I think the strength is probably the experience we have at the 'Mike' linebacker with [Darrell] Songy and Bull Barge coming back. Both of those guys are very smart individuals and highly driven individuals, so I feel that when you have that kind of combination in our [position] room with guys who understand what to do and have a sense of urgency about everyone else doing their job too, is probably the most impressive thing to me."
-On how the linebacker is viewed as the 'quarterback' of most defenses and how that fits in his defensive scheme: "We have something called the 'Alpha Male' on the field, which is the person who makes the final call when we have a decision of do we set a blitz to the field or do we bring it from the boundary or whatever it may be. The 'Mike' linebacker gets to make the final call. Having those guys [Songy and Barge] who know exactly what to do who communicate loudly and with confidence helps us have a calm across the field when it comes when our players know it's those two kids making the call."
-On where he's seen the most progression in the defense from year one to year two in his scheme: "The most progression has probably been in the young guys or guys who didn't really have a major role for us last season; players like Riley Cole who would 've had a bigger role, but he got injured; Taji Stewart who had to be plugged in there because we didn't have a lot of depth. Both of those kids have taken such a tremendous jump going into this season along with Khalil McDonald. The one dark horse for us to me that has taken his game to a different level is Malcolm Buggs. He's a guy who has been in this program for three years and he does everything right on and off the field. He works his tail off and he's just now discovering the fruits of his labor. It's really fun to watch a kid like that."
-On the expectations of the unit and the defense as a whole now in his second season: "I told our guys that it was an impressive thing to be the second-most improved defense in the country after just one year. Where we have a chance to go now is that we don't want to just be one of the most improved defenses in the country, but we have the chance to be one of the best defenses in the country and that's our standard right now. When the opposing offense makes a first down on a third down, it's not ok and our guys understand that; they hold one another accountable to that. If a team breaks a big run on us our guys know it's important to get that guy on the ground. The standard our guys hold for one another and the accountability they hold each other to is what will make us a very good defense this year."
Darrell Songy
-On being in coach Kane Wommack's defensive scheme: "I love coach Wommack's scheme; he does a good job of helping us understand what we're doing and what we're taking away from the opponent, and our goal each down and distance. He works with us when guys don't understand certain things or need a better understanding. He's always there to go over it with us and I've tried to do that as well with the young guys. I glad to be here and be a part of it."
-On what he's worked on in the offseason to improve his game: "I've worked on my focus. There were times last season when I would get so wrapped up in the game that I would forget about my team around me. I would be too focused on doing my job, but now I'm more comfortable with what I'm doing out there that I can look and make sure everyone else is set and ready to go."
-On the expectations of the defense and the linebacker unit: "I feel like the sky is the limit for us. Our defensive line has played so well and are unbelievable and that will help out our linebackers make more tackles and our defensive backs make more interceptions. I feel that everybody out there wants to compete and win, so I'm excited."
Riley Cole
-On the strength of the linebacker unit and the defense: "I would say our athleticism; we have some crazy athletes out there on the field. If you look at our depth chart, there isn't much a drop off at any position in the 1s, 2s or 3s. We are also very close as a group; just one tight family."
-On what he took away from his freshman season: "The ability to come back from adversity and push through all the little bumps and pains."
-On where he feels his biggest improvement is from last fall camp: "I feel I've really grown mentally as a player. I feel like I really know the playbook. Last year was a bit overwhelming as it is for most freshmen, but this season I feel more comfortable and like I can just go play. I also feel that I've gotten bigger, faster and stronger and that has helped ever aspect of my game."
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