MOBILE, Ala. – Having lost both starters from the program’s first 17 games at inside linebacker — two of the team’s four captains in 2010, no less — the University of South Alabama football program might have a difficult task heading into the 2011 campaign being able to rely on getting production from the position.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
While the Jaguars will miss the presence of Justin Dunn and Charlie Higgenbotham, the school’s 2010-11 Jaguar Male Student-Athlete of the Year, who combined to make 72 stops last fall, there are plenty of capable individuals in the program looking to step in and fill that void.
“You think about the leadership and everything that they brought every single day for two years, which is hard to replace. I’m not saying that we are replacing that,” stated Kurt Crain, associate head coach and the unit’s position coach. “But I felt a lot better after the spring. I think we are very athletic — probably more than any group I’ve ever been around — and we have a great group of guys who just love to work, love South Alabama and take their academics seriously; when you have that, you have a chance to win.
“They do all the right things. Now we have to take that out on the field to practice every day and on Saturdays, and I feel like we will.”
In their place, Crain will be able to turn to a trio of players who have seen significant playing time for the Jags, including two who have played the last two years.
In fact, Enrique Williams led the USA defense with 48 tackles last fall even though he did not start once. The 6-foot, 225-pound Mobile native led the team in the category on four occasions a year ago, highlighted by a career-best nine in a 37-31 Homecoming victory over Henderson (Ark.) State. In addition to those figures, the sophomore broke up three passes, forced one fumble, recovered another and blocked a kick.
His 72 stops in two seasons are the second-highest total recorded by a Jaguar, and tops among active players.
Bryson James, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound sophomore from New Orleans, made 18 tackles in nine appearances last season, and he also intercepted a pass that he returned 22 yards for a score in USA’s season-opening win over Pikeville (Ky.). James also posted four stops in the HSU victory and three solo tackles in a 24-21 come-from-behind win at UC Davis. As a true freshman the previous fall, he tied for sixth on the team with 23 tackles, which included a career-best seven in the school’s first-ever win over a four-year school, Huntingdon (Ala.) College.
But, Jake Johnson may be the most experienced member of the unit. Not only did he post 31 stops in 2010 — a total that tied for fifth on the squad, and included a team-high four sacks — but in the two seasons prior to his arrival in Mobile Johnson played at Virginia Tech, where he collected 55 tackles as a sophomore. In the Jags’ first game against an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly NCAA I-AA) opponent, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound resident of Fredericksburg, Va., posted five total tackles as the Jags defeated Nicholls State, while he was credited with three stops in wins over both Lamar and Georgia State.
“With Jake coming from Virginia Tech, he’s been in big games and understands what pressure is. It helped him with us because when he arrived he was ready to go right off the bat,” Crain explained. “Enrique was really able to learn the game playing behind Charlie. He has all the tools — strength, speed and all that — but he had to learn to play linebacker. They complement each other, and I throw Bryson in there too, because they are all big, strong and can run. They are probably some of the smartest guys I have been around as far as football sense; they may make a mistake, but they won’t make it twice.
“Right now, I consider three guys my starters. Jake, Enrique and Bryson are individuals who I don’t have any second thoughts about putting in the game in any situation, anytime, anywhere.”
Another individual likely to see a lot of time at inside linebacker this season is 6-foot-1, 225-pound Tyrone Williams. As a true freshman in 2010, Williams — who hails from Thomasville, Ga. — recorded a total of 19 tackles in 10 games, with 14 of those stops unassisted, and he tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles. Williams had nine tackles, six solo, to share team-high honors in the Jags Homecoming victory.
The caveat, though, is that Williams posted those totals while playing outside instead of on the interior.
“Tyrone had a good spring, he’s coming on, but I’ve only really had him for one spring so he’s on a learning curve. But I feel like he’s going to do some great things for us,” said Crain. “When Jake came in last year it was tough for me to find all those guys playing time. We didn’t have as many guys at outside linebacker, and Tyrone is such a phenomenal athlete that we just put him out there. He has played inside his whole career until he got here, so he’s more comfortable at the inside position. Losing Dunn and Higg gave us the opportunity to move Tyrone back inside and play in that number four slot.
“It’s real easy going into a meeting with these guys because basically the game plan is laid out there and they understand it,” he continued. “Where Tyrone has to fit into that mold is not only understanding in the meeting room, but taking it onto the field when there are 60,000 people in the stands and being confident in what he is doing.
“If you’re confident in what you are doing, then you can play fast.”
There are other individuals with experience for Crain to turn to if need be. Ben Giles appeared in eight games and made 14 tackles a season ago, with two of those for a loss, after transferring into the program from future Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana-Monroe. And, Blake Houston, Desmond Jones and Philip Press all made multiple appearances last year as well.
A pair of incoming freshman will have an opportunity to add to the Jags’ depth at the position, too. Desmond Lavelle, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound native of Decatur, Ala., posted four tackles in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game following his senior campaign at Decatur High, where he helped the Red Raiders advance to the state 6A playoffs. A 5-foot-10, 230-pound Eufala, Ala., resident, Ramone Lewis paced Eufala H.S. in stops while helping guide the Tigers to a first-round victory in the state 5A playoffs last fall.
Both individuals received two stars and were ranked among the top 100 middle linebackers nationally by Scout.com.
“Desmond has come in this summer and been an unbelievable worker; now we need to see how much he can retain because he’s a freshman, but I plan on playing him,” Crain remarked. “Ramone hasn’t been here this summer, but we will see how he does in camp.”
If the two want to have a chance to see game action in the fall, though, Crain has laid out a plan for the duo. “The first thing they have to do is make a special team, that gets them on the plane. If you’re starting on the punt or kickoff team, then you’re travelling to N.C. State,” he commented. “I tell all freshmen their goal is to bang on the special teams coach’s door and make sure he knows their name and how important it is to them to be on that.
“The next thing is to watch these others guys who have been through it and learn. That may be the biggest advantage they have; Desmond and Ramone will be able to watch two guys go through practice — including plays and 7-on-7 — before they even get in there. So they won’t be thrown under the bus being the first guys in, because Jake and Enrique and Bryson can handle that.”
With so many individuals to turn to, including a core group that already has valuable experience, it’s easy to see how Crain doesn’t need to panic while planning for the upcoming season despite losing what many considered the heart of the Jaguar defense in the program’s first two years of competition.
“We have a long way to go, we are by no means perfect at the position, but we have all the tools to be really good,” he stated. “It’s my job to make sure that they understand what they are doing, and to take it from the practice field to games on Saturdays. But I can tell you, I have never had a group of guys that I enjoy being around more than these guys. Every other day, [strength and conditioning] coach [Justin] Schwind comes in here and tells me how much he loves my guys, how hard they work and how they are leaders on and off the field.
“It makes it exciting as a coach to know you are going out there and working with guys who really care about the football team and care about the school. The bottom line is that you can take the nucleus that we have and, barring any unforeseen injuries, we’re going to be pretty good at inside linebacker.”
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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