Date: 8/16
Position: Safeties
Position Coach: Mike Adams
Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Kalen Jackson (12 games played, 65-31—96 TT, 8½ TFL, 1 PBU), Devon Earl (12 games played, 35-22—57 TT, 1 PBU, 3 FF, 2 FR TDs), Malcom Buggs (12 GP in 2014), Nigel Lawrence (8 GP), T'Qwan Robinson (10 GP)
Letterwinners lost (Key stats): Antonio Carter (6 GP, 6-18—24 TT, 1 QBH), Nigel Green (12 GP, 9-6—15), Ronnie Reed (7GP, 2-2—4)
Newcomers (Yr., Previous school): Diantae Thomas (Jr., Butler [Kan.] CC)
Miscellaneous Notes
-Earl and Jackson both started for the Jaguars during the 2015 season.
-Jackson – was moved from linebacker to the defensive backfield during the spring – ranked third on the team in tackles as a junior and ranks as the second in that category among returners on the defensive unit.
-Jackson was the only individual from the unit to earn all-Sun Belt Conference recognition over the summer after being voted preseason second-team all-league by SBC head coaches and selected members of the media. He was also a preseason first-team all-SBC selection by Athlon Sports.
-Earl started 10 games for the Jags during the 2015 campaign and finished the season with a career-best 57 stops. He recorded a career-high nine tackles and ran back a fumble for 57 yards in USA's come-from-behind Homecoming victory over Idaho.
-Earl also returned a fumble 62 yards at Georgia Southern.
-Buggs returns to the unit this season after missing all of the 2015 campaign after suffering an injury during the preseason. Buggs appeared in 12 of USA's 13 games during his freshman season.
-South Alabama ranked second in the Sun Belt last season in pass defense holding opponents to just 195.0 ypg
-Lawrence made his first career start against North Carolina State.
Mike Adams
- On his expectations for the South Alabama secondary in 2016: "This is an interesting group, but I definitely have high expectations. We definitely have some senior leadership back there with both Devon Earl and Kalen Jackson. They both have some great experience and leadership qualities, but we'll also have some young guys that will have to play too. It'll be a good mix, but I think that the expectations definitely need to be high, but these guys are the ones that set them high."
-On what the move of Roman Buchanan and the addition of Kalen Jackson has done for the defense: "It's a great trade off for everybody. Roman brings all the knowledge of having played in the defensive secondary and brings all of that experience into the linebacker unit and all his skill-set to that group. With us though, you get a guy like Kalen who has played in the secondary before. He's aggressive, tough and a very smart and knowledgeable player. He's able to move out to the perimeter, which is a great asset for us. I think it's a move for both guys and a great move for our defense. I don't think it will do anything but give us a ton of versatility in the type of things we can do. It's an exciting move."
-On what the keys are in order for the safety unit to be successful this season: "The biggest thing for this group is to going to have a steady influence to counter those highs and lows throughout our games and throughout the season. We have some good teams on our schedule and this is a tough conference that we play in, so there's going to be times in games when you are up and when you are down and the emotions run high and the emotions run low. (Jackson and Earl) have a way of kind of calming people and the rest of the team believes in those two, especially in the defensive backfield. I believe they will provide that kind of steadying, calming influence. That above their playing abilities will give us more leadership that anything else and get us through the season."
Devon Earl
-On the new defensive scheme under first-year coordinator Kane Wommack: "It's been fun to play in the new scheme. I seems like it is more simple, but now that we've installed everything, you see it's not really as simple. The new scheme allows us to play more freely in zone coverage and read the quarterback better. That's what a lot of our guys are more use to playing. I think we are a lot more comfortable in it."
-On how the defense can maintain its pass defense ability from last season: "There are a lot of ways we can get even better. Obviously, you want to be first or second in that category every year. We played really good pass-defense last season. This year, it's just going to be us knowing what we are doing out there and doing our job. We also need to have guys able to come off the bench and back us up and be real integral in our defensive schemes. Also having a good pass rush will help. When you have that and only have to cover for a couple of seconds, it makes our job a lot easier."
-On being one of the veterans on defense and his leadership role in the secondary: "My role is to just bring energy. I think there are sometimes that we just need a spark or someone to just flip the switch. We have talent all around our defense, but sometimes we just don't come to consistency that we need to, so I just place it upon myself to bring the energy every single day. I want to be someone that anybody can look at on defense and see that he's out here to have fun and lead."
Kalen Jackson
-On moving to a new position in the defense this year and that transition: "For me, the transition has been smooth. I'm enjoying it. I feel like it's my natural position and it really fits me well. I'm able to do what comes natural to me and use my instincts and play sound, defensive football. I've been very excited about the transition to the secondary. "
-On how he can use his time at the linebacker position to help the group: "I now have a better understanding on how defense is played and how to take on blocks. I'm able to be aggressive and defeat them. Playing linebacker really helped me mature as a player."
-On the experience of the group: "The leadership in this group is huge for us. We have players like (Devon) Earl back here. We're the same age, but he teaches me new things about playing the secondary every day. One of the most intriguing things about the leaders in our group is they're not afraid to follow and listen to one another. That's a key element of any successful unit and successful team."
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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