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Tre Young

Football

JAGUAR FOOTBALL POSITION PREVIEW – SAFETIES

Date: 8/23
Position: Safeties
Position Coach: Matt Kitchens

Returning Letterwinners (Key stats): Keith Gallmon (12 games played, 43-16—59 TT, 2.0 TFL, 1 FR, 1 FF, 4 PBU, 1 INT); Tré Young (12 GP, 31-13—44 TT, 1 TFL, 2 PBU); Keon Voisin (12 GP, 1-0—1 TT)

Letterwinners lost (Key stats): DJ Daniels (12 GP, 51-21—72 TT, 4 ½, 1 PBU); Sterrling Fisher (10 GP, 7-8—15 TT, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 QBH)

Returning Redshirt/Squad Members: (Yr., Hometown, Previous school): Kwameh Lewis (Sr., Montgomery, Ala., Park Crossing HS); Nic Bunkosky (R-Fr., Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Nease HS)

Newcomers (Yr., Previous school): DJ Exilhomme (Sr., Central Connecticut State), CJ Thompson (Jr., Northeastern Oklahoma A&M JC), Dewayne Betts Jr. (Jr., Coahoma (Miss.) CC)

Miscellaneous Notes
-Daniels's 51 solo tackles led the team while his 72 total tackles were second most on the roster.
-Gallmon earned preseason third-team all-Sun Belt Conference honors from Athlon and was a Phil Steele Publications fourth-team preseason all-league honoree as well.
-Gallmon started all 12 games last season posting 59 total stops — highlighted by 43 unassisted — with two behind the line of scrimmage, while adding four passes broken up, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He also recorded a career-best 10 tackles, leading all players in the category, as well as a pass defensed against 21st-ranked Appalachian State.
-Keon is one of three Voisin brothers on the team as his two younger brothers Jaden, also a safety, and Devin, a wide receiver, are also members of the 2019 Jaguar roster.
- All three newcomers to the position – DJ Exilhomme, CJ Thompson and Dewayne Betts Jr. – each bring previous experience from the junior college and college levels.
-Exilhomme earned second-team all-Northeast Conference in 2019 at Central Connecticut State after posting 72 total tackles – three behind the line of scrimmage – five passes broken up, three fumble recoveries, an interception and a blocked kick.
-Thompson was considered the top junior-college recruit in Oklahoma and the 15th-rated safety in the country by 247Sports.com, receiving three stars from the organization.
-Thompson was named a second-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-American following his sophomore season at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M JC after recording a team-high five interceptions and three fumble recoveries. He also tied for best on the squad with 62 total tackles — including three behind the line of scrimmage — and broke up a pair of passes while being named second-team all-Southwest Junior College Football Conference as well.
-Betts Jr. signed with the Jags after being rated him the third-best prospect as an athlete in the country. He was chosen first-team all-Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges his sophomore year at Coahoma (Miss.) CC after posting 32 total stops, a fumble recovery and a pass break up.
-Betts Jr. originally began his collegiate career at Mississippi Valley State where he was a member of the Delta Devil roster for two seasons.
-Kwameh Lewis was a member of the squad last season, but did not see time on the field, while Nic Bunkosky was redshirted.

Matt Kitchens
- On the expectations of the group with the experience he has returning in the room: "The expectations in our room are high. We've got a couple of guys returning who have played a lot of snaps for us. We signed a couple of junior college guys that I feel are really going to help us. The guys play really hard and they like being around each other. They've been in the system a while so it's been quite enjoyable."
- On how he's seen Gallmon grow as a leader: "When you start football games, you develop a confidence in not only what your job is, but what the job of others is around you. Keith has come out of his shell and really worked to be more of a vocal leader. He had a great offseason when he was here. When he was home during the break, he did a really great job of continuing to get his body right. I can't tell you how excited I am about him this season."
- On what he feels is the key for the group this season: "We've got to be able to get the ball. That's the one thing we've been talking about. It's not just about tackling the football; we've got to find ways to get the ball. We had way too many missed opportunities last year. We have to turn PBUs (pass break ups) into interceptions. That's our big emphasis this season. We want to capitalize on those opportunities a lot more this year than we did last year."

Keith Gallmon
- On his expectations of the position group: "I look for us to make a lot of plays in the secondary this year and being very vocal on the field to lead the defense. I want us to be able to make a lot of plays on deep balls and contain everything outside."
- On what he took away from playing with DJ Daniels last season: "Really, just the type of player that he is. The attention to detail in his preparation and the things he did for our group with us being a bunch of young guys coming in. He really took the role of a leader and came out to practice and made us work hard every day and give our all every time we step on the field. This season, I've tried to take over that role and be a leader for the guys behind me."
- On the development he's seen in the other guys in the unit: "In the short time that we've all been together, especially with a couple of the junior college guys coming in. Keon (Voisin) has really stepped it up a lot this summer and been more focused on what he has to do. Dewayne (Betts Jr.) has really come in and learned things quickly. We just pick each other as we go and question each other on things when we make mistakes. Anytime we have a question about something, we just ask each other."

Tré Young
- On his role in the position: "I just try to be the quarterback of the defense and play sideline to sideline at full speed. I just try to make sure everyone is in the right place on the field."
- On his chemistry with Gallmon and the others at the position: "I'm glad to have another season playing with Keith (Gallmon). Playing with each other last season, we were able to get used to each other and we know what we need to do depending on what the play call is. It's good to have someone else with experience playing alongside you. You feel a comfort level that y'all are on the same page."
- On what he's seen in the development of some of the other players: "For it only being a short period of time that we've been out here, they seem to have caught on pretty quick as far as knowing the plays and the coverage. They are also getting a lot better at coming down and making plays and big hits."

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