Each week leading into the start of preseason camp, USAJaguars.com will preview a position group from the 2011 football team.
MOBILE, Ala. – With six returning letterwinnners among the group, University of South Alabama assistant coach Brian Turner has multiple options when figuring who to put on the field up front as part of the Jaguars’ 3-4 defensive alignment.
Need size? Interior linemen Randon Carnathan, Andy Dalgleish, Romelle Jones and Montavious Williams are all listed on the roster with a weight of at least 270 pounds.
Need speed? Anthony Taylor can play on the end at 215 pounds, with Alex Page weighing in at 240.
“Those guys can go out and cover or they can put their hand on the ground and rush, they can play the run — they are very versatile,” Turner said of the latter group. “And with our guys inside, when opponents start changing the strength of the formation we won’t have to adjust, we can slide because our guys inside can move out; they can play the nose or the three-technique.”
It’s that kind of versatility that has Turner believing heading into the 2011 campaign — which is set to begin on Thursday, Sept. 1 against West Alabama — that the line can lead the defense as the program begins a two-year transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly NCAA I-A) in the fall.
“I really think the line is going to be a strong point for our defense this year,” he stated.
But it’s not just the size or the ability to play multiple positions that has Turner excited, it’s also the fact that the core of his group has been with the program going back to the first season of competition in the fall of 2009 and taken part in all 17 victories. All six returning individuals have lettered in both of the Jags’ first two years.
“The good thing is that all of them have been here and played the last two years; they’ve got a lot of experience,” Turner explained. “With 17 ball games under their belt, they have seen a lot of different offenses and had a lot of lines they’ve had to adjust to. I think experience will be the biggest key for the group.”
While Williams paced the group in USA’s first season, recording 12 stops in seven contests, it has been Jones who has been a force finding his way into the opponent’s backfield. After recording four tackles for loss in 2009, he led the Jaguars a year ago with six stops behind the line of scrimmage — his 19 total tackles in the fall matched Taylor for the most in the group.
“Romelle has stepped up and been a big leader for us. He is a guy who I expect to get the rest of the group going and to lead them in the right direction,” observed Turner. “He leads us in every drill, and he proves it on the field in every game too.”
Carnathan and Taylor both added five stops for loss, while Dalgleish and Page were credited with four and three tackles for loss, respectively, last fall.
Their efforts were a key to the Jags’ ability to limit the opposition to just 81.2 yards per game and less than three yards per attempt last season on the way to a 10-0 finish.
With Jones slated to start at nose tackle, Williams and Carnathan are listed on the preseason depth chart to see action on the end of the line. And while the trio has proven their abilities in the trenches, Turner is looking for them to work on making it more difficult for USA’s opponents to throw the ball in the fall.
“They have made tremendous improvements. They are both bigger, stronger and faster,” Turner stated. “Romelle is in that same boat, all three of them have played a lot inside for us. They can play the run extremely well, which I would say is our best attribute as a defensive line — we can take on blocks and defend blockers. All of them still need to improve on the pass rush, and that’s what we’re working hard on.”
Although the program is still in its infancy relative to schools with an established history that the Jaguars will face in the fall, such as North Carolina State, Kent State, Cal Poly and Tennessee-Martin, Turner believes that physically his unit is close to comparing to the opposition in size and strength — that may come as a surprise to those who figured it would take years for USA to be able to recruit individuals physically capable of playing at that level.
“I feel really good, the inside guys are all sitting around the 280 [pound] mark, they’re extremely strong and very quick,” he explained. “The defensive ends are around 225, 230, and all those guys can really run. I compare to where I’ve been in the past, and we’re very close or exceeding those programs when I was there.”
Beyond the group of returning letterwinners, though, there is not a lot of experience on the defensive line heading into preseason camp. Rodney Thomas saw action in three contests last fall, while Darrius McMullin returned to the program in the spring after posting five stops in seven games in ’09.
One newcomer from February’s recruiting class who Turner would like to see find his way on to the field is Ceasare Johnson. Johnson was credited with 70 tackles including six sacks as a sophomore at Coahoma (Miss.) C.C. last season.
“Ceasare is a kid we are hoping can come in and contribute,” said Turner. “He’s a big junior-college defensive lineman who can really run. If I have one concern, though, it would be depth.”
While Turner searches for individuals who can make the Jaguars stronger on the defensive line, look for an established group to continue to set the pace up front for USA.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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