MOBILE, Ala. – Newly hired University of South Alabama football head coach Kane Wommack and director of athletics Joel Erdmann met with members of the media virtually Monday for his introduction to and questions from the group as he takes over the reins of the Jaguar program.

Director of Athletics Joel Erdmann
- Statement on the search process in hiring Kane Wommack as head football coach at South Alabama:
"This process started with an evaluation of where I, and we, believed our program was from various aspects and where we wanted to go in the immediate future as well as the next two years, four years and beyond.  We partnered with Parker [Executive] Search out of Atlanta to assist us in enhancing the logistics of a search — which as you know can be very complicated with a lot of technical details — and appreciate their help.  There were many people within our department who assisted with the logistics and a small group of people who served on the committee.

"We interviewed many qualified candidates who have great characteristics, experience and traits, and as we navigated that process it became very clear to me that the person who was fulfilling our needs both with where we are currently at and where we are going to go is Kane.  An offer was extended to Kane, he enthusiastically accepted and we are here today.

"On behalf of President Tony Waldrop, our Board of Trustees, our football program, the community of Mobile and the southern region of the state of Alabama, we enthusiastically welcome Kane, Melissa and their family as they lead us into a new realm and era of South Alabama Athletics.  I am very pleased to introduce Kane.  Welcome to the family and Jaguar Athletics, we look forward working with you."

Head coach Kane Wommack
- Opening statement:
"Thank you guys for being on here. I appreciate it. This isn't the traditional introductory press conference, but one that we've all come to know very well over the past few months. It's probably very fitting and appropriate for the year that we've had.

"There are a number of thank yous and recognitions that I do want to reach out and speak to. I'm really excited to share and enjoy this process with my family. My parents who have had a phenomenal influence on my life and helped me experience this profession from a young age as a coach's kid.  My in-laws, Doug and Mary, who are in Hattiesburg, Miss., right down the road. Having a chance to be close to them has certainly made me a more popular person in my household. My younger sister Haley, who is at Liberty University, and my brother-in-law Daniel who's a doctor in Jackson, Miss.

"Obviously and most importantly Melissa and the three boys, Asher, Tatum and Jones. The fun that we've had here at Indiana has been awesome. Just knowing that wherever we go, that I'm truly with my best friend and the person that I admire the most. For all that she does and has done, she's certainly the more impressive person in our marriage and I won't forget that anytime soon.

"I want to thank the search committee, Parker Executive Search Firm, and the way they handled this [process]. Daniel Parker and his people do a phenomenal job. Also the committee's excitement for this opportunity and the way in which we engaged in meetings was outstanding. Dr. [Tony] Waldrop and Dr. [John] Smith, Dr. [Mike] Mitchell, Jimmy Shumock and Jim Yance; I'm so thankful for them and all they've done. Jason Kelly and Daniel McCarthy, and certainly Joel Erdmann. As I was going through this process with them, the open lines of communication, the love and attention that they have for this program, this city and this university was so evident to me and it was intoxicating. It's something that I wanted to be part of before, and as you continue to work in this process with these guys, it was just so clear to me that each of them know that there's a role in improving and building a winning football program and that we are all committed to doing that together. I'm so thankful for each of them during this process and how everything came to fruition.

"I want to thank our team here at Indiana. There are a number of people to thank in that as some of you on this call well know. The things that we've been able to accomplish this season have truly been exciting and exhilarating, and something that I will remember for the rest of my life. Fred Glass and Scott Dolson, both athletic directors here at Indiana while I've been here over the past few years are two individuals who I think so highly of. Both of those men are great leaders that understand Indiana and what we tried to accomplish here and the vision that Tom Allen had for this football team. For them to come along side what he's done, we're truly appreciative of those people and the rest of the administration. Certainly Tom, he's one of my best friends and will always be one of my best friends. He's certainly been a mentor as a defensive coordinator and now as a head coach. To be able to sit down and have real talks and conversations about how do we improve the lives of the people in our program is a resource that I can't wait to utilize. I also want to mention our coaches and our players. I'll try not to get too emotional in talking about that, but football is what I do. I don't have a lot that I do outside of my family and this football program so those players and coaches and players have truly become by best friends. To be able to walk away from that means that there are bittersweet aspects,  but to know that you're supported with people who care about myself, Melissa and our family and the opportunity this presents for our family was really endearing when we were able to address the team the other day.

"I don't think that you can look at this opportunity and job without recognizing [former South Alabama head coach] Joey Jones and what he did for this program. To me, the work and the love that he put into the early years of building this program probably can never be measured and most of us will probably never really know what was put into all of that. That goes along with a number of people in this administration, but I am thankful for Joey and the opportunity that he gave me as a defensive coordinator six years ago, and what that meant for my family and the opportunity to come to Mobile, and the love that we now have for the city and will forever hold.  I'm thankful for Steve Campbell and the man that I know he is. We don't know each other that well, but the way in which he carries himself speaks to his character, and the tireless work and character that he and his staff have put into this program for the players. I just want him to know that I'm thankful for him and all of the work that he put in.

"There are so many people that I want to thank that have had an influence on my career. There are just too many people to name here. I feel my role is to honor those people daily with the way I lead our program here at South Alabama.

"I'm excited to partner and come along side with our other programs and coaches here at South. There are some people who were great friends my first time around; Mark Calvi, Becky Clark, Ben Hannen, Terry Fowler, Paul Brueske and Nick Brochu. Those people who have been there before and then the new faces as well. I'm excited to get to know and become friends with Richie Riley and his family, along with Alexis Meeks-Rydell, Parker Cowles and Richard Moody, who was just coming in when I was leaving, so we never got to establish a relationship. I want to build and do life with those people and their families. I'm excited to connect with them once again.

"I want to thank our former players at South Alabama. There are so many guys who have touched our lives and made such a big impact for Melissa and I and the boys. I invite them to be part of our future. Many of them I know, and there are others that I'm excited to grow with. Our ceiling will be reach atop the foundation that they've laid and raised here for us. That's not something that I take lightly and it's something that I'm very appreciative of.

"I can't wait to engage, serve, learn and grow with our players here at South. I sent them all a text just a bit ago letting them know how excited I am about the opportunity.

"I think that transitions into and addresses why this opportunity means so much to me. Whenever the opportunity opened at South, I've always know that no matter where I was or what position I held, I knew I would chose South when the opportunity came. I'm thankful that Joel, the administration and the search committee felt the same way. Melissa and I had fallen in love with this city and we loved this campus and the people who are in it. I love Mobile and the blend of culture there is and all that it encompasses. It's truly a blend of things that we love with the Southern culture, Mardi Gras and coastal life. It's just an awesome blend as a port city with the people and the diversity. We fell in love with it the first time we were here.

"After we knew that we were moving to Indiana there was a time, and I really haven't told anyone this, but there was a time that we went out on the intramural fields in front of the practice facility. We were playing football with the boys and kind of hanging out. I knew that was where they were going to be putting the landmark of Hancock Whitney Stadium. In the moment, just for a brief moment, I remember walking out in the middle of that field and closing my eyes for a minute, and just dreaming about what this place was going to be like and what it is capable of becoming, and the potential of South Alabama football. I try not to get emotional thinking about it, but as I was at Indiana and would return down this way for recruiting or seeing family, I would see the stadium build and grow, I would go out there and do the same thing, and walk out into the stadium even though I probably wasn't supposed to do that. I hope I don't get in trouble for it, but I would go out there and just dream. Close my eyes for a minute and just dream about what this place is and if the opportunity were to ever come about, what it would be. To know now that that opportunity come September 4, 2021 when I get the honor to lead this program out on the field for the first time, I'm going to take a moment and I'm going to close my eyes because I won't have to dream anymore because that reality is there. When we are on that field and able to hear the excitement of our fan base, and see the confidence in our players' and coaches' eyes with the chance to go and do something really special at South Alabama. That to me is the dream. Dreams are important and when they come to fruition, it's something that's exciting for me and my family. Come hell or high water, we're going to pack that stadium full of fans that will witness our best moments as a program and know that our best days are ahead of us is truly exciting.

"Dreams have to have substance and a process to be actualized, so I want to speak for a minute about the staff and players, and what our expectations are and then we'll certainly open it up for questions. We want to create an environment where families, coaches, players, administrators can strive to become the best versions of themselves and actualize their greatest potentials together. I think that it's important to have people around you who care about your success the same as you do.

"Our staff are going to be men who reinforce our culture, men who are responsive and know how to respond in adversity and know who to answer both in game schematically and the way in which we engage our players. They are going to be relational and have the endurant mindset that it takes to lead a program and a group of young men well. They're going to ask the tough questions and they're going to tell the hard truths. I don't want a bunch of yes men. I want people who can speak to what we need in this program and how to make us better daily. There are certainly positions of proprietary knowledge such as coordinators on both sides of the ball, technicians at the line of scrimmage, and then certainly recruiters. We have to have recruiters who have great understanding and connections in our regional footprint. It's critical that we go find those right people. I'm looking to hire to the role, not just the position. I feel that it's important that we're not just hiring a running backs coach or a safeties coach. There are roles that are meant to be played in every single program, and those roles must complement one another.

"To our players, I want our players to have ownership. Players want ownership over what they do. When you look at the post-millennial culture now, they want to know why, and we have to be able to explain to them 'the why'. I think giving them 'the why' allows them to own our culture. Not just tell them this is what we're doing and you go do it, but when you give them 'the why' and they understand it at a deeper level about what it is that we're trying to accomplish, they can go own our culture. We want to create a consistent environment built to grow. I think consistency is the best environment that helps young men grow. There's a heavy workload that's put on their backs often as student-athletes, but I've often believed and I give this analogy that young men are like a rickety dump truck. They just drive straighter with a heavy load on their back. That's the challenge of a student-athlete this day and age, and there are a lot of things built into that.

"I want to develop a group of men who consider the needs of others above themselves. We're going to develop a group of servant warriors at South Alabama. To me, what servant warrior is a fierce and disciplined competitor that considers the needs of others above himself. That creates a culture of service, and so we're going to have to go serve and consider the needs of others by serving people. Often you can't consider the needs of others until you see the needs of others. We're going to serve our city, we're going to serve our university and we're going to serve out athletic programs. We're going to show up to other sport athletic events. We're going to wear our colors and we're going to bring energy and excitement. We're going to truly let those other sports know that we care about what they do and that they are important to us as we hope we are important to them.

"We're going to create an environment of growth and learning. We're going to teach our men to be better, more sufficient human beings and young men. We're going to work to improve their life skills from things as simple as tying ties and building resumes and how to communicate to people and women. How to lead has husbands and fathers and the way we do that is in the way we communicate with them. We're going to build a culture of grit; we want to have endurant mindsets that can meet the challenges of today's student-athlete. They are various and they are many. We want to create an environment to maximize that potential.

"Offensively, as I get into the scheme and the things of what we do. For me, my role is to keep us connected to the detail of the vision of who we want to be. Whatever our vision is on each side of the ball, my job is to keep us connected to the detail of those things so that we can execute what we do well. We're going to maximize our personnel. We're going to use in-game analytics to maximize our opportunities to win. We're going to be situationally and fundamentally elite, and we're going to know and understand the game so that we can maximize those opportunities and those game-changing moments. Offensively, we're going to be personnel driven, and quarterback and offensive line friendly. In this day and age, if you're not focused on how to help your offensive line and help maneuver your quarterback in a way that puts him in the best position to be successful, you're behind the game. We're going to find ways to move the pocket and have efficient compliments to our run game so that we can maximize our space and our personnel. We're going to create explosives by maximizing our matchups. We have to find ways to get our playmakers the ball. We can do that in a number of different ways from mixing tempos and using unconventional and exotic looks. Ultimately though as I look at the offensive coordinator position and the rest of the offensive staff, and the conversations that I've had already, things are very exciting. The conversation that we keep having is finding ways to get our players the ball. The answer can never be that they are double covering this guy. That can't ever be the answer. We'll find a way to maximize our space, get people open and create matchups in order to create explosives through maximizing our matchups on the field. Situationally, we must be elite on offense and know how to execute in those critical moments in the game – third downs and red zones and two-minute situations. How do we navigate our team best into successful moments.

"Defensively, I can't wait to bring back the Swarm D to Mobile. We've made some tweaks and adjustments that I feel have put ourselves in a position to be elite in the college football landscape. Takeaways, tackling and effort are always going to be the identity of our program, and I think those are the things that we've been able to hang our hat on this season. We're going to play with great edges and with great vision. Our ability to make plays on the ball rely on our ability to put eyes on the quarterback and attack the ball on the back end. I think our guys at Indiana did a phenomenal job of that this season and I'm excited to bring that back to Mobile. Fundamentally, we have to be elite at what we do and the way in which we do it. Everything in our process from a detail perspective in practice and planning has to go back to the fundamentals of what we do, and we have to do that at a high level.

"We teach the game from a different standpoint, we're never going to just teach a guy their position. We're always going to teach them the concept of what we're trying to accomplish defensively. We're going to teach them the situation of the game. We've talked about this before with some of you Indiana guys, but red zone is played totally different than open field, third-and-medium is played different that third-and-long, and then two-minute when they need a field goal versus a touchdown is a different situation, and our players have to understand that and apply our concepts accordingly.

"Lastly, we're going to recognize formation and understand what the offense is trying to do. We want to anticipate and go make plays on the ball. We are reactionary by nature defensively, but it doesn't mean we can't anticipate and create the matchups to where we are dictating how the offense has to play the game."

"Special teams has to be a team priority for us, and that's what we've done at Indiana. We're one of the top teams in the country in special teams efficiency and that starts with me at the top as the head coach and the priority that I put on it. We're going to utilize our best players and maximize their opportunities at the next level by what they are able to do and the versatility that they have as special teams players. We're going to create game changers. You have to be able to win the hidden yardages on special teams, but you also have to be able to create game-changing plays. We've got to create those through our players fundamentally and what we do schematically in those situations. I always have thought that you have to build a great specialist culture. Sometimes those guys get left out a little bit. It's important that we not do that. We need to make sure that those guys have a true culture themselves and one that we are all able to embrace as a team so that when it matters most, they are able to go out and execute at the highest level.

"The last thing is that I just want people to know that Melissa and I, and the boys are truly thrilled to be part of South Alabama's football program and to lead us moving forward with the right people, the right energy, vision for what I believe we've always known South Alabama is able to accomplish. I truly can't wait to get it started and know that our best days are ahead of us. Thank you."

MEDIA QUESTIONS
- On his overall plan over the next couple of weeks with concluding Indiana's season and starting here at South Alabama:
"Obviously, those things are always a challenge when you're juggling a few hats. I'm thankful for Tom [Allen] and what he's allowed me to do along with the administration here at Indiana, as well as Joel and our administration [at South Alabama] for the support that they've already shown and the way in which we are navigating an building this program. My intention and I'm thankful to Joel for allowing me to do this, but I'll be coaching the rest of the season [at Indiana] and I'm excited to carry our team in and finish well as we have our bowl game preparation. I'm excited for the opportunities that we've created for ourselves as a program and I look forward to finishing those things.

"Again, I'm excited for the momentum that this creates for me and for our program at South. There are a number of things that have to be done from a head coaching perspective. We have signing day coming up and we've been in contact with some of our commitments and recruits. We'll continue to work through that process over the next few days here. I'm very excited about the early stages of building our staff, which is a big piece of what we're trying to do right now. I talked about those positions of proprietary knowledge being first and foremost in what we're trying to get done at the coordinator position. Be patient with me. Those things take a few days when you're going after the people that I'd like to bring into our program. That's not just one phone call. It's a relationship and a connection that we're building. We're making sure on both sides that we're both doing our due diligence to create and truly align with our vision for South Alabama football."

- On what his conversations were like with Indiana head coach Tim Allen over the hiring process:
"Hard in some ways but exciting in others. Long before we came to Indiana, Tom and I had a dream and a vision of being able to do these things together. I'm so thankful for him. I think it was about eight years ago now, and some of you guys know this, but we sat down in his living room in Oxford [Miss.]. He and Tracy talked about the opportunity that they one day wanted to have leading a program as a head coach. When that opportunity came, they wanted us to join them as their defensive coordinator. To realize that and actualize that vision and that dream over the past three years has been life fulfilling in so many ways. To be able to walk away from that is bittersweet. Tom and Tracy have been so supportive to us in our three years here. They've also been very supportive in this process. They've known the dream that Melissa and I have had to be a head coach one day and when they knew the opportunity was available at South Alabama, especially with the way Melissa and I have talked about having that opportunity one day, it was very clear to all of us that this was the next move and the right move. It's heartfelt and exciting, but at the same time there are tears that will be shed and have been shed through that transition."

- On whether or not he's hired any assistant coaches and his timeline for doing that:
"We've had productive talks with both coordinator candidates and assistant candidates. I'd like to be able to secure those coordinators. There are a few guys from a recruiting standpoint that have connections in our footprint that have already began to hit the ground running. We'll begin to announce those guys in the coming days as well as our coordinators. I don't want to put a timeframe on it because I feel that it's more important, and I truly mean this, that it's done right and properly, and that we cover all angles both for myself as the head coach as well as for those guys.

"When I look to build a staff though, I feel that there is loyalty built into each side of ball in the coordinators and the assistants that we bring in up under them. That has to be done carefully and talked through. There are many things to consider in building a staff. Rest assured though that my focus is bringing people in that will connect with our players deeply and have the knowledge and understanding of maximizing our players' potential both on and off the field."

- On if becoming a head coach at age 33 happen quicker than he expected:
"You have a dream of what you want your career to be, and from a very young age, I knew I wanted to be a football coach. When we were living in Hattiesburg, Miss., it was Halloween and I got to dress up for whatever I wanted to for school. I dressed up as a coach. My mom put 'Coach' on the back of my shirt, and grabbed one of my dad's hats and whistles. From that point on, I don't believe I ever waivered from the dream and vision of being a collegiate head coach. There was a time, especially early on, where I thought I wanted to climb as fast as I can and as quickly as I can. As you get into this profession and you start building relationships and connections, and you realize all the things you didn't know when you took a job as the defensive coordinator at 26 years old at Eastern Illinois, that it slows down that process and you become more process oriented and less focused on the outcomes. Being in that position and focusing on the process is what I feel has afforded us the opportunity to be a head coach here. I'm very thankful for the experiences I've had at each stop and thankful for the adversities and the challenges and the things that have grown me into this position today."

- On the thoughts of his dad about him taking on the challenges of the head-coaching role:
"I'll say this, and we've often joked especially up at Indiana we've had that conversation. A few years ago, my parents right as I was getting ready to graduate, took me to the national coaches convention. I met a lot of their friends and most of them did not have jobs at the time which often seems to be the case at the coaching convention. We live in a very difficult profession, but also a challenging one that is of great reward both personally and professionally in terms of what we get to do and the impact that we get to make. My parents know the challenges, the consequences and rewards of college football. They know how those things can affect players, coaches and families on such a dynamic level, and they were aware of what I was getting into. I'm so thankful of the resource that they've been to me, obviously personally as well as professionally. To be able to bounce ideas off them is so great. I think my dad and mom are pretty excited about this opportunity. I had to convince them not to drive down to Mobile the night I accepted the job, because I wouldn't be there quite yet. They are certainly thrilled for the opportunity that this presents both Melissa and our boys."

- On what he's learned in his time at Indiana, as well as what Tom Allen has done for him to prepare him to become a head coach:
"Joel, Daniel, Jason and I had numerous conversations about that and talked about the growth in the interview process and the things that I've experienced. The things that Tom has instilled in me as a coach are the same things we've used to build our program into the success that we've had here at Indiana. That is a culture of L.E.O. We believe in loving one another well. That encompasses a lot of different things, but creating a culture where it's not about me and you don't care who gets the credit, and we often have to consider the needs of others above ourselves. Coupled with that is a relentless detail to accomplish a vision of what we're trying to do daily. If I look to the indicators of why we've been successful, it's because we care for our people well and we stay so acutely focused on the detail of what we have to accomplish to win. Those are the things I feel like I will carry with me from Indiana to South Alabama."

- On how he's different and better prepared for this job now compared to when he interviewed for it three years ago:
"That's another thing that Joel and I talked about and for him to give me an opportunity as a young coach to go through that process [three years ago] and see the other side of college football, I appreciated. As you peer into that world, it's a different way of looking at the game from a head coaching perspective as opposed to that of just an assistant coach. I've always been thankful to Joel for giving me that opportunity and being able to go through those things. There's no substitution for experiences and what I've experienced here at Indiana under someone I trust and has given me an in-depth daily look at how to lead and run a program. Tom could have easily just kept me as a defensive coordinator and kept me on the outskirts of all the interior decisions that have to be made in order for a program to work. He chose to invest in me and allow me to see the way that you build this thing. Those types of experience can't be substituted and I got a chance to see that and how we build a roster. Sometimes we're a little out-manned and out-gunned, but you still have to find a way to execute at the highest level."

- On being able to work with some of the guys who remain on the roster that he either previously coached here at South or recruited:
"You talk about storylines in life, and I talked about the opportunity to join Tom here at Indiana and the chance to come back to South Alabama as its head coach after falling in love with this place so dearly. How fitting and so poetic to be able to [come back to] those guys I helped recruit into this program, and build relationships with and sit in their homes, and talk to their parents about being a part of their experience here at South. To be able to help them finish well is something that Melissa and I are so excited to be able to do. I can't wait to know these players well, not just the ones that I have previous relationships with, but every single player [on the team] is ours and I'm truly excited to shepherd that group in a way that maximizes their potential both on and off the field."

- On whether or not there are any candidates for his staff from Indiana and if so, who:
"Obviously, what we've done here at Indiana is certainly going to [present the opportunity] for people to be poached and worked after. There are people we've identified both in the program and on the exterior that I would love to utilize in building our staff. We're in talks with those people and I'm not ready to make any type of announcements about staff hires. I do just want to say though how thankful I am for the guys that are here on staff at Indiana. This group of men and coaches is truly a special group that we've been able to do life with over the past few years. To be able to experience the things that we have has been a great joy."

- On how he's planning on handling the early signing day on Wednesday, how many recruits he thinks he will sign and if there's a chance if any might not be committed to South Alabama at the moment:
"I think we're looking into all those areas. There were a number of people that Coach Campbell and his staff worked tirelessly to get on board at South. We're excited to be able to connect with those guys and be able to see them and what they are going to bring to our program moving forward. We will have a signing day on Wednesday as everyone else will. There will be guys wo will become part of our Jaguar football program. That's an exciting thing when they become ours; mine and Melissa's and the rest of our staff. We're so excited to get to know them and their families on a much more dynamic level. A lot of the conversations being had right now are that even though we are starting this process off with a commitment and a signing, this is the beginning of a relationship that we get to build over the next four or five years."

- On his first game at South Alabama being against both his and his wife's alma mater [Southern Miss], and his thoughts on that:
"Another great question and you talk about great story lines. Hattiesburg has always been a very special place to Melissa and I. It's where we met on the third-grade playground where we've been friends ever since. To get to do life with someone and be married to someone who is a coach's son that has known me my entire life doesn't often happen in our profession. To connect where we did in Hattiesburg will always be a special place to us. The things that program has done over the years and the history and tradition they have is something I'm very proud to have been a part of. At the same time, to know that South Alabama's best days are ahead of us and the excitement that comes with that and the opportunities that come with that in trying to win on the field is something I look forward to in the first game of the season."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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