MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama Assistant Athletic Director of Athletic Academic Services Jason Kelly announced Wednesday the hiring of Summer Stover and Kenneth Johnson as athletic academic counselors, with both filling roles aiding the Jaguar football program.

Stover comes to USA from Marshall, while Johnson was a former student-athlete in the program.

"I am extremely excited to have both Summer and Kenneth joining our staff, they have each hit the ground running and have already began to make a positive impact with our student-athletes," Kelly said.  "Summer has brought an outside perspective and experience from working with football student-athletes at another NCAA FBS university while Kenneth — although new to the profession — is bringing with him the same energy and enthusiasm that he had when he was a student-athlete here at South Alabama.  They each bring a unique skill set to their position and will be remarkable helping all of our student-athletes meet and surpass their academic and personal goals."

"Both Summer and Kenneth have a very bright professional future ahead of themselves."

Stover worked as an academic advisor with the Thundering Herd football program during the 2015 and '16 seasons, with her responsibilities including advising student-athletes on course and major selections, coordinating tutoring schedules, tracking academic progress, developing academic plans for at-risk and non-qualifying student-athletes and aiding the compliance and registrar's offices regarding eligibility.  As an undergraduate student at the university she worked as a football equipment manager, and she was employed by both the team and the registrar's office while working toward her master's degree.

Originally from Ashton, W.Va., Stover graduated from Marshall in 2011 after majoring in sports management and marketing, and she received her master's degree in adult and technical education from the institution in 2013.

Johnson has been at South since 2009, when he appeared in five contests as the Jags completed their inaugural season with a 7-0 mark; the offensive lineman would remain with the program for five years, earning a letter following the 2013 campaign.  Since graduating that December with a criminal justice degree, he has held multiple positions on campus highlighted primarily by working as an officer with the USA Police Department since March 2014.  In that role, Johnson had to respond to multiple violations of federal, state and local laws, contribute to emergency planning and response, promote health and safety in the university community, and assist with security operations at numerous athletic events.

While on staff with the police, Johnson completed internships in both South's Athletic Academic Services and Compliance offices en route to earning a master's degree in higher education administration & leadership last month.

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).

Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics.  Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/priorityfund

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