NEW ORLEANS – Senior placekicker Gavin Patterson and senior punter Corliss Waitman were two of five University of South Alabama football student-athletes to earn preseason all-Sun Belt Conference honors on Friday as the duo was selected to the league's first team as announced by the conference office.
Joining Patterson and Waitman on the all-conference squads were fellow rising senior wide receiver Jamarius Way, senior linebacker Bull Barge and junior defensive lineman Tyree Turner, who each earned second-team accolades.
Patterson – who has also received first-team all-league recognition from Athlon Sports, Lindy's and Phil Steele Publications – converted 16-of-19 field-goal attempts and hit 26-of-27 extra points to lead the team in scoring with 74 points during the 2017 campaign. The Bourbonnais, Ill., native paced the Sun Belt in field-goal percentage, tying for the conference lead in both field goals and field goals per game, while ending up ranked among the top 35 in the nation in field goals per game. He also finished fifth in the SBC in scoring and extra-point percentage, while earning first-team all-SBC honors from the league coaches and Phil Steele Publications following his junior season.
His performance ranked among the top five on USA's career record lists for field goals, extra points and scoring, and his field-goal percentage was tied for the second-best in a season in program history. Patterson made a career-high-tying three field goals in back-to-back games against Idaho and Louisiana Tech, and converted two field goals in a win over ULM and at Georgia State the following week, which included a 46-yarder in the third quarter to make it a one-possession game. He provided the final points in USA's win at Troy with a career-long 47-yard field goal, earning the coaches' special teams award that week.
Waitman – who hails from Milton, Fla. – was named to his six preseason team as he was named third-team All-America by Athlon Sports and received first-team all-league honors from Athlon Sports, Lindy's, Phil Steele Publications and Street & Smith's. Last season, Waitman was an honorable mention selection on the inaugural All-American Punter team after he ranked third on the organization's top five list of Coffin Kickers with an 89.86 rating. Waitman was also a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection and named first-team all-league by Phil Steele Publications after averaging a school-record 45.24 yards per punt, which ranked first in the conference and eighth in the country.
Waitman also stood second among league punters with 26 kicks inside the opponent's 20-yard line — the second-highest season total in program history — and led the SBC with 21 punts of 50 or more yards. His efforts helped South rank seventh nationally in net punting while leading the Sun Belt in the category. Waitman posted an average of 45 yards or higher in seven of 12 contests and had at least two punts inside the 20 nine different times. He was named the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week after having career-high four of five punts end inside the 20 while averaging 46.4 yards at Georgia State.
Way – the lone offensive player from South to earn preseason accolades from the Sun Belt coaches and media – continued to rack up the preseason honors. The all-conference selection for Way came a day after he was named to the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, which recognizes the most outstanding NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision receiver in college football. Along with the Biletnikoff Award honor, Way has also been selected preseason first-team all-Sun Belt Conference by Lindy's and Street & Smith's magazines, while receiving second-team preseason all-league honors from Athlon Sports and Phil Steele Publications.
The Belle Glade, Fla., native started all but one outing for the Jaguars in 2017 — his first season with the program — while leading the team with 47 catches for 762 yards, three touchdown receptions and 799 all-purpose yards where he was chosen second-team all-Sun Belt Conference at the end of the year. Way tied for the team lead with 11 plays of 20-plus yards, which included a squad-best three touchdowns of over 20 yards, and paced South in receptions six times and receiving yards on six occasions with multiple catches in all but one contest. He ranked seventh in the league and among the top 75 in the country with 63.50 receiving yards per game, ending the season among the top 10 on the school season record list in catches (sixth), yards receiving (third), yards per reception (16.21, seventh) and 100-yard receiving games (two, tied for second).
The honor for Barge marks the third preseason all-SBC team for the senior linebacker as he was also a second-team all-league selection by Phil Steele Publications and received third-team all-conference honors from Athlon Sports. Barge was also named by Street & Smiths's as the hardest hitter in the Sun Belt.
Last season, Barge started five times — including each of the last four contests — while playing in every game for the Jaguars. For his play, he was selected honorable mention all-Sun Belt Conference after finishing third on the squad with a career-best 77 total tackles and two forced fumbles. He was credited with three stops behind the line of scrimmage including a sack and had four quarterback hurries, tied for best on the team. Barge led USA in stops on four occasions and received the program's coaches' award for a big hit following three of the Jaguars' four wins. He was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week after posting a career-best 13 tackles — sharing game-high honors — with one for a loss of two yards and a forced fumble in Senior Day victory over Arkansas State. The Moultrie, Ga., resident also tied for team- and game-high honors with 12 stops in season finale at New Mexico State, where he had two tackles for a loss of 20 yards including a sack against the Aggies.
The second-team all-league honors mark the third preseason accolades for Turner, as the Stockbridge, Ga., native was also chosen preseason second-team all-Sun Belt Conference by Athlon Sports and preseason third-team all-league by Phil Steele Publications.
As a sophomore during the 2017 season, Turner led all Jaguar defensive linemen with 28 total stops and 4½ tackles for loss, while sharing the team lead with 3½ sacks. Turner was also credited with two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He had five straight outings with at least one assist behind the line of scrimmage from Sept. 8-Oct. 11 and posted a season-best four tackles in home opener against No. 10 Oklahoma State, which included a sack of Mason Rudolph. Turner matched that total each of the next two weeks in a win over Alabama A&M and in South's Sun Belt Conference opener against Idaho and was credited with a sack, adding a recovered fumble and a quarterback pressure in the matchup with the Vandals His lone stop in win over Troy in the "Battle For The Belt" was for a loss of five yards, forcing a fumble on the play that was recovered by the Jags three plays after the Trojans entered USA territory.
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/sports/2013/3/13/Gridiron%20Club.aspx?id=22
—USA—
