Southern entered the final week of spring practice cruising toward the Blue and Gold game with a good amount of enthusiasm Tuesday.
The Jaguars will practice again Thursday before the spring game at 1 p.m. Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
“I’ve seen a lot of great energy. The guys are excited, flying around and executing well,” first-year coach Terrence Graves said. “They’re taking care of one another, practicing smart, practicing hard, and practicing fast with discipline.
“The guys have spent a lot of time together and have worked hard together. When you get them going, they get to know each other. The coaches are doing a great job of pushing these guys, paying attention to detail and taking care of each other.”
Graves said the offense has taken to the new scheme brought in by offensive coordinator Mark Frederick. The defensive task is to rebuild the secondary to add to a strong front seven.
Junior Noah Bodden is the odds-on choice to win the quarterback job after starting last year’s season finale in the Bayou Classic. He’s being pushed by redshirt freshmen Jalen Woods and Czavian Teasett.
“All three of them have gone with the (first team),” Graves said. “Coach Frederick does a great job of making sure those guys get reps with everybody. They were really spinning it last week.”
Graves said running back CJ Russell returned to practice last week but that last year’s leading rusher, Kendrick Rhymes, is still out and “probably won’t play” Saturday. Also missing this spring was All-SWAC defensive end Ckelby Givens, but linebacker Derrick Williams has returned and will play Saturday.
Graves said he was pleased with he way the secondary, which lost four of its top five members, has come together.
“The secondary guys are making plays, getting some turnovers and breaking up passes, being where they are supposed to be,” Graves said.
Graves said once spring has ended, the coaches will evaluate tape of the Blue and Gold game and decide how to proceed with the transfer portal reopening this spring. Graves is looking for help in the kicking game to go with Josh Griffin, who handled placements and punting. He may also want some depth on both lines and maybe another quarterback.
Ideally, Southern would like to have an experienced backup.
“We’ll bring in another specialist, kicker-punter. You’re always looking for linemen,” he said. “If you can get a couple of good ones, you always want that. It’s not going to be wholesale deal. We’ll sit down, evaluate the film and their rooms, tell me what they need.
“With the quarterback, it depends on the offensive staff. After spring ball they’ll tell me what they want to do. We’ll go after it whichever way. Everybody (on staff) wants two or three more. If I say one, they’re going to say two. If I say four, they’ll say six. We’ll add a few pieces to build the depth. We have to make sure we have the right people in place and have the numbers. It’s a long year.”
