South Alabama wants a brand new head coach. Kane Wommack has left for the Alabama defensive coordinator job, because the domino impact from Nick Saban’s retirement continues throughout the game.
Wommack was an apparent rent in 2020 as a former profitable assistant who got here again. He went 22-16 in three seasons as head coach, highlighted by a 10-3 file in 2022. That season and the 7-6 file this 12 months had been the 2 greatest seasons since USA moved as much as FBS in 2012.
“I deeply respect Kane’s service to our program, college and metropolis,” athletic director Joel Erdmann mentioned in an announcement. “His efforts propelled us ahead and we want him and (his spouse,) Melissa the perfect.”
So how good is the South Alabama job? What names might get within the combine? Listed here are the components to remember.
The amenities are nonetheless mainly new
The college and its boosters have put some huge cash into this program. A soccer operations heart was in-built 2009, however simply up to now few years, the 96,000 square-foot Jaguar Coaching Heart observe subject pavilion opened in 2018, and the college opened a brand new stadium in 2020.
Since their founding, the Jaguars performed at previous Ladd-Peebles Stadium, 8 miles from campus. The $78 million stadium seats 25,000 and is on campus subsequent to USA’s different soccer amenities, making it top-of-the-line setups within the Solar Belt. That open-air pavilion additionally technically qualifies as the biggest indoor observe facility in Alabama.
Our new Jaguar Indoor Coaching Heart pic.twitter.com/3LxkPOzIfC
— South Alabama Observe & Discipline / XC 💨 (@SouthAlabamaTXC) August 21, 2018
It is a a lot better job than the final time it opened
South Alabama hadn’t had a profitable season in FBS earlier than Wommack arrived. The college made a change in 2020 as a result of it felt it had instruments in place to be lots higher than it was. Wommack proved them proper. That is now a spot that may win a Solar Belt championship.
USA does have a collective with Jags Influence. Title, picture and likeness on the Group of 5 degree isn’t roster-changing like it’s within the Energy 4, however there’s a construction in place.
Wommack’s $810,000 wage was in the midst of the Solar Belt, the sort of vary that would restrict curiosity from sure Energy 4 assistants.
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There’s a number of regional competitors in recruiting
The Gulf area is stuffed with Group of 5 faculties competing for a similar pool of gamers. Locations like Troy, UAB, Southern Miss, Louisiana, ULM and Louisiana Tech all on the G5 degree go towards South Alabama for gamers in highschool recruiting. The identical goes for the switch portal, for gamers who may wish to return nearer to dwelling. It’s a battle for each participant.
All three of Wommack’s recruiting lessons completed sixth or seventh within the Solar Belt. The Jaguars haven’t been a high recruiting program since they moved as much as FBS.
So what names might get within the combine?
It begins with offensive coordinator Main Applewhite. He’s been there for the final three seasons after two years as an Alabama analyst. This 12 months’s Jaguars offense led the Solar Belt in yards per play, a marked enchancment since his arrival. Applewhite additionally has two years of head-coaching expertise, with a 7-5 and 8-5 season at Houston. That was the identical variety of profitable seasons as his successor, Dana Holgorsen. He’s been an offensive coordinator at Alabama and co-offensive coordinator at Texas and he’s been on the Group of 5 degree.
Former UAB head coach Invoice Clark retired in summer time 2022 attributable to again points, however some trade sources imagine he’s able to get again in. Clark spent greater than a decade as an Alabama highschool coach, then labored at South Alabama (2008-12) and Jacksonville State (2013) earlier than changing into UAB head coach. He went 49-26 at UAB with two convention championships, most of that coming after this system was rebuilt from nothing after it was shut down. At South Alabama, the help and sources are in place.
LSU vast receivers coach Cortez Hankton was within the combine the final time this job opened and he was at Georgia. Hankton joined LSU in 2022 after serving to Georgia win a nationwide championship, and this 12 months’s LSU receiving group, led by Malik Nabers, helped Jayden Daniels win the Heisman Trophy. The 42-year-old Hankton has additionally coached at Vanderbilt and Dartmouth.
Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin is a Cell native who has been within the combine for the South Alabama job up to now. He spent seven years as a USC assistant from 2012 to 2018, and there was some push for him to get the head-coaching job there on the time. He was top-of-the-line recruiters within the nation as properly. Martin has been with the Ravens since 2021 and is now the place coach for a former NFL MVP, Lamar Jackson. Martin is likely to be centered on transferring up within the NFL and sticking with a Ravens crew within the playoffs.
Georgia operating backs coach Dell McGee is aware of the area extraordinarily properly. The previous Georgia highschool coach was a Georgia Southern assistant from 2014 to 2015, together with a bowl stint because the interim head coach in 2015, which he gained. Since he arrived at Georgia in 2016, the Bulldogs have had one of many strongest dashing assaults within the nation, produced backs like Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and D’Andre Swift and gained two nationwide championships. The Athletic’s Seth Emerson final 12 months made a case for McGee to get a head-coaching job.
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Former Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has interviewed for Energy 4 jobs and certain wants a brand new gig now as Kalen DeBoer has introduced Ryan Grubb with him to Alabama. The 31-year-old Rees spent 2017-22 at Notre Dame, and this was his first job within the Southeast, however he helped develop Jalen Milroe right into a harmful quarterback who beat Georgia within the SEC championship.
Alabama defensive position coach Freddie Roach spent 2013-14 as a South Alabama assistant. He’s an Alabama native who has coached everywhere in the area and was retained by DeBoer for the work he’s carried out with the Tide since 2020. If Alabama took South Alabama’s coach, might the Jaguars take one again?
Texas A&M affiliate head coach Trooper Taylor simply obtained to A&M after 5 years at Duke. He served because the interim head coach for the Birmingham Bowl, and the short-handed Blue Devils beat Troy. Taylor has additionally coached at Auburn, Tennessee and Oklahoma State and is legendary for being a relentless recruiter. He’d deliver a number of vitality to Cell.
Marshall head coach Charles Huff was within the combine the final time this job opened, and his $755,000 wage is barely under what Wommack made, however going between Solar Belt jobs is likely to be a lateral transfer not price making, although his buyout is believed to be lower than $1 million. Huff is 22-17 in three seasons at Marshall, highlighted by a 9-4 season final 12 months that included a win at Notre Dame. He spent 2019-20 at Alabama and was top-of-the-line recruiting assistants within the nation.
(Picture: Stephen Lew / USA Right now)
