Date: 8/11
Time: 10 a.m.-noon (CDT)
Place: Jaguar Training Center
Practice attire: Full pads

Featured Offensive Player of the Day: Lincoln Sefcik, So., TE, Enid, Okla.
-Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite on Sefcik: "Lincoln had a phenomenal summer; he came in in great shape.  He did a great job coming into camp ready to play, and he has put on a little bit more muscle and weight.  He has the size and speed that we are looking for and is a guy who can play on or off the ball.  Lincoln gives us some diversity in the passing game — he is a guy who can be a threat going down the field — and he can also block, I've been really encouraged by what Lincoln has shown so far."

Featured Defensive Player of the Day: Jamal Brooks, Sr., ILB, Bessemer, Ala.
-Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon on Brooks: "Jamal is a transfer who has come in and really helped us.  He's played a ton of snaps in a lot of games as a fifth-year senior, as a graduate transfer he brings some more experience to the room.  For the short amount of time that he has been here, Jamal is really good in terms of making calls and communicating, he knows the defense.  He has been fortunate to have played under several different coordinators in his time, so he has had to learn a volume of defense.  He has done a nice job coming in from a mental standpoint, and physically he is very gifted in terms of in-line speed, his ability to change direction and he has pretty good thump when once he gets to the ball.  We're anxious to see him continue to learn and develop in that room."

Play of the Day: After the first-team offense quickly moved into the red zone in the final period of the day, the defense ended the threat when Yam Banks and Quinton Wilfawn combined for a fourth-down stop inside the 10-yard line.

Team period highlights: The first of three teams periods focused primarily on the run game, with the second period concentrating on perimeter calls before the offense ended the day working on plays in the red zone and attempting to move the ball down the field.

Miscellaneous Notes
-This workout was the first for the Jags in full pads during preseason camp.
-Brooks had a hand in two takeaways for South's defense on the day, intercepting a pass during the second team period prior to forcing a fumble at the end of 7-on-7 passing drills.
-Devin Rockette picked off a pass one play before Brooks forced the fumble to go along with an assist behind the line earlier in the practice, while Brock Higdon added a forced fumble on the final snap of the morning.
-Banks was credited with one other assist for loss in addition to the play of the day, and he also broke up a pass in the team's skeleton passing drills period.
-Jalen Tolbert had a team-high seven receptions in the workout, while both Allen Dailey Jr. and Caullin Lacy chipped in with four apiece.
-Jacob Hopper's four catches led Jaguar tight ends, with Sefick also contributing three receptions at the position.
-Quarterbacks Jake Bentley and Desmond Trotter teamed up to connect on 34-of-50 passes throughout the morning, with the former finding Sefcik for a 19-yard touchdown on the initial snap of the final team period of the workout.
-A group of four running backs — Terrion Avery, Bryan Hill, Kareem Walker and Jared Wilson — handled all the carries in the session.
-Both Diego Guajardo and Barret Pickering made three field goals apiece, highlighted by each connecting on a 50-yarder, as USA had four placekickers combine to convert all eight attempts in the period.
-The Jags also had two other special teams periods dedicated to kickoff coverage.
-All practices are closed to the general public.

Head coach Kane Wommack
-On how the team responded to the first day of camp in full pads after having a day off: "They took care of their bodies on their off day.  We are 1.5 percent up in body weight across the entire team, which is incredible at this point.  Credit [Director of Football Athletic Performance] Matt Shadeed and his staff, along with the urgency of our players to just take care of their bodies.  We came out here and did some live work today.  I thought the tackling was pretty good for a first day [in full pads].  There were some throws on the outside that we've been landing but weren't able to today and we've got to continue work at that.  We're also competing out there at defensive back, and we were contesting some of those throws against our big, long receivers.  There was a lot of competition today and a lot of physicality, which was encouraging to see."
-On the team being up weight-wise: "I can't tell you how many times I've walked into staff meetings throughout my career where you have a player who is eight pounds, six pounds or four pounds down, and we make excuses for them whether it be because it's fall camp, or they're hot or they're tired.  The way you operate at an elite level is you have to keep your body running at a high-performance level.  These guys out here aren't pickup trucks, but they're Ferraris, and in order to keep them performing that way we have fuel them the right way, sleep the right way.  I feel like we've got a group of men who are doing things the right way at a high-professional level.  We're seeing the fruit of that in terms of the energy and effort out here at practice."
-On what he liked from the live portion of practice: "What I love is that there is a hunger to compete across the board right now.  We don't do everything right, we're doing a lot of things really well, but there's a physicality, an urgency to get lined up and do what we're supposed to do, and then fix the things we need to so that when we go out during a live period and do something early on in practice, I'm seeing the quarterbacks get things corrected as we move along.  The offensive line and the way we're identifying combo blocking up to the second level and other skills, we're seeing those things get better and better when we implement a live variable into practice, which changes things.  When you know that you're going to get tackled and you know that you've got to put somebody on the ground, it changes the dynamic of the game, and that's how we have to operate."
-On where he is with the starter's roles and depth chart at this point of camp: "This topic of the game is something that is going to continue to evolve as players enter the transfer portal, especially with players coming into a program during the summer and trying to earn jobs in fall camp.  Some of our offensive linemen, linebackers and receivers have started out on the third team, but they continue to work their way up moving to second team and even getting first-team reps.  The first eight days of fall camp leading up to the first scrimmage is a real critical piece of getting our team into operating level with the guys we need from a personnel standpoint."
-On Jake Bentley: "I think where I've seen Jake Bentley take the biggest step was in the summertime where he owned the leadership of our team.  Right now, that leadership and ownership is really showing up in fall camp.  When he walked onto the field for that first day of practice, there was a different level of leadership that was understood and commanded.  He knows what to do and he's bought into our system.  He has great communication with [offensive coordinator] Major [Applewhite] and what we're trying to do out on the field.  The work that he's put in with our wide receivers, tight ends and running backs, I'm seeing that pay off in the first five days of camp."
-On what he wants to see out of Saturday's scrimmage: "You always want to see the execution of a more compressed game plan.  We put in all these installations in our offensive and defensive schemes — third down, red zone, base downs, two minute — all those situations with a large catalog of them during camp.  When we hone in on Friday and say this is what we're going to do on Saturday in the scrimmage — which will be very similar to a game-like scheme — we want to see if we are able to execute those things at a high level, can we play with physicality and the fundamentals, and then you want to see the guys play with a tremendous effort.  We're going to be outside and the heat will be a new element; it's a variable we can utilize so we'll have to push through that.  Tomorrow we will be back outside to help us get ready for Saturday.  Ultimately, we want to be able to execute what we do at a very high level."

Senior QB Jake Bentley
-On the first day in full pads: "It was awesome to see what the running backs and linemen were capable of doing after getting knocked around a little bit.  Offensively, it shouldn't change things much for us.  You just have to put more emphasis on securing the ball and knowing how to finish with the ball."
-On where he feels he's taken the biggest step in camp: "I've challenged myself to really bring it each and every day for the guys.  Even when we were lifting and working out during the summer, I wanted to get the most out of this team, because I know how special we can be."
-On the depth of the wide receiver unit: "There are a lot of special guys in that room who are going to get the ball in their hands and make some big plays for us."

Senior ILB Jamal Brooks
-On the defensive scheme and how he's fitting in: "First off, I want to give honor to God and thank him for the opportunity to be here.  I'm thankful to the coaching staff for recruiting me.  In terms of the defensive scheme, I'm loving it, it's fun to play in, which is what I was told when I was recruited to come here.  I've been able to melt in with the guys pretty well.  Our defensive scheme tries to confuse the offense.  Everyone says that, but I feel we really live by that here at South Alabama.  We try to confuse the offense with the different pressures, schemes and rotations."
-On putting on full pads: "I'm a linebacker so this is what I live for.  The game is played when the pads are on and there is no better feeling than when they are on."
-On whether or not the defense is difficult to learn: "I would compare it to learning math.  You start at the ground level where you learn the basic fundamentals, and things build off it from there.  If you have a great teacher like we do here, learning is easy, at least for me.  Math hasn't been one of my favorite classes but I've had some great teachers and relating that to football I have some great coaches here.  I'm just glad to be here."

Junior WR Jalen Tolbert
-On if there is extra energy when the pads go on for the first time: "Definitely.  We've been working out and doing player-led practices all summer with no pads, so it was fun to come out here today and get some contact and play football."
-On how that increases the competition level: "It definitely helps you and gives you a burst of momentum.  It's fun to come out and compete with your teammates."
-On how he prepares himself, while helping the other receivers: "It's something that I had to work on this offseason.  Coach Shadeed, Coach Wommack and Coach Applewhite really helped me step into a leadership position and start teaching the younger guys in order to bring them along.  Jalen Wayne has done a really good job of helping me lead the younger players in the group.  We've drawn up plays for them and made sure they know what they're doing out on the field.  I can know what I'm doing out on the field, but if someone on the other side doesn't, then it messes up the whole play.  We all have to be on the same page."
-On what he wants to see out of the position group and the offense in the first scrimmage: "I want to see us finish plays.  I think we've left a handful of plays out on the field over the past five days of camp, so I want to see us come out and compete and finish plays.  I want us to take care of each other, but also take a step forward as we prepare for the Southern Miss game."

Up next: South practices again at the James A. and Frances H. Yance Football Practice Facility on Thursday, with the workout set to get underway at 10 a.m.
 
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).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics.  Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—