MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama defense was among the leaders in the Sun Belt Conference last fall allowing just over 380 yards per contest, but the unit entered the spring season facing a bit of uncertainty.
For the first time since the program’s inception, Bill Clark will not serve as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator after accepting the head coaching position at Jacksonville State. In fact, USA has three new faces on the staff on that side of the ball, with Kevin Sherrer coming over after three years at Alabama to replace Clark, and Travis Pearson and Freddie Roach also in their first years with the Jags.
Despite those changes, look for the Jaguars to do a lot of the same things defensively in the fall.
“A lot of the goals that you are trying to achieve over the game — yards per carry, points per game — are not really going to change. And a lot of the numbers were pretty good, especially in the red zone,” stated Sherrer, who will work with defensive backs in addition to his coordinator duties. “We want to continue to be good in the red zone, and take on things that will allow us to be better — I think we only won the turnover battle in five games, which isn’t a winning percentage. If we can get three turnovers a game that result in three points each, that’s nine points that we can hopefully add to the offensive side to make a difference in some of those close losses.
“But for the most part they were pretty good, and I’m just trying to build on what they have done.”
Rather than the installation of a new playbook, USA’s main focus leading into spring drills was to make sure that everyone on defense is on the same page. “The goal is for the new staff to communicate what they want out of the players, and for the players to understand what they [the coaches] want,” head coach Joey Jones said. “We want the players to come out of the spring totally understanding what our defensive staff wants them to do. The interaction seems to be extremely good, our players appear to have a great feel for what the coaches want, they like the new coaches and understand they know what they are talking about, and they have a great relationship off the field.
“It’s been real good for us.”
The fact that Sherrer had arrived by the start of the spring semester — plus NCAA rules allowing several meetings in the offseason — has helped in achieving Jones’ goal.
“I was in the first team meeting when they got back from the winter break, so they knew who I was,” Sherrer explained. “A lot of them came by with questions, and we were allowed a couple of hours per week in the offseason to meet with them so we were able to get in there and teach them a little bit. The toughest part was getting the staff acclimated to what we are going to do because we all came from different directions, but so far it has gone well; the players have adapted to it and are eager to learn.”
It should come as no surprise that the individuals Sherrer has leaned on thus far to help get his messages across as well as installing variations from the old defensive scheme are veterans, including a few who have been with the program since its first season of competition. He acknowledged linebackers Bryson James, Clifton Crews and Enrique Williams, defensive lineman Romelle Jones and cornerbacks Darrius Morrow and Tyrell Pearson, who both started last fall in their first season as a Jaguar.
“Those are the guys who have been here for a while that have a lot of experience,” observed Sherrer. “They have done a good job of taking ownership of what our philosophy is even though it’s not a lot different. But there are different people involved, so they have done a good job in meeting rooms and on the field encouraging guys and helping them get things done the way we want.”
With the changes the Jags are experiencing this spring, Sherrer has been pleased with his unit’s response during the initial practices. “So far it’s been pretty good, but we’ve only had three days,” he explained. “We’re throwing a lot at the guys right now so their minds are spinning a little bit, but for the most part the guys have handled it really well. We’re trying to teach them to practice and do things the right way when they take the field.
“We’re building a sand castle, but we’re not just going to dump a pile of dirt — we’re going to throw [down] a little bit and build our foundation and work our way up, and by the end of the spring we’ll have everything in we need to. Sometimes they get frustrated with the simplicity of it right now, but it’s just part of the process of getting it installed a little bit each day.”
One of the main goals for the spring is learning the adjustments that the USA defense will make in the fall, but the new staff is also making an effort to work on basics while evaluating individuals on the field.
“We want to have a good understanding of the defense and the scheme that we want to run,” commented Sherrer. “We want to evaluate the players that are out there and see who fits the scheme, and make sure we’re doing the right things. The most important part is that we want to come away with the right fundamentals — defense striking with their hands, tackling the right way and pursuing the football.”
The Jags worked out for over two hours on campus Sunday afternoon, their third session in four days since returning to the field. The team will be off on Monday, returning to practice at 6 a.m. on Tuesday with a two-hour workout scheduled to be conducted at the fields on campus.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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