MOBILE, Ala. – Members of the University of South Alabama football program, including head coach Joey Jones, offensive and defensive coordinators Bryant Vincent and Kane Wommack as well as student-athletes Roman Buchanan, Kalen Jackson, Gerald Everett and Steven Foster participated in the team's annual media day Thursday at the football field house.

Highlights from the press conferences include:

Head coach Joey Jones
Opening statement:
"I want to say how excited I am about this football season.  This team has really come together; I know sometimes coaches get up and say things like that, but I mean it deep from the bottom of my heart.  It's been a great transformation since January, I think we all realize what happened last season.  When you go through things like that in life, you go back and fix them — if you're a competitor you do for sure — and our guys have bought in to what we are doing.  Our motto is 'One Heartbeat' this year, we are going to be on the same page from the staff down to the GAs.  I've watched this team grow before our eyes through the spring and summer, it's been fun to see."

On the biggest difference he's seen so far between last year and this preseason:
"How much better our kids get along and how much they are holding each other accountable.  I have a player council made up mostly of seniors, and they have told me they don't want to put up with anything that is going to take this team in a negative direction.  When you go through a year like we did last year, you focus fundamentally on what you need to be doing and that's one thing that really struck me the most about this team — not so much the better athletes we have on the field, but that the guys have bought into what we have to get done."

On the team's situation at quarterback:
"If we were playing this Saturday Dallas Davis would be our starter, but Cole Garvin is really coming on.  The last two days Dallas has been out with a tweak in his shoulder, so Cole has stepped into the one spot and Evan Orth has stepped in there.  Cole is getting better every day and Evan is playing good as well, so Dallas better get back out there.  I kind of thought it was clear cut a week or two ago, but there is some real competition there."

On Dallas Davis:
"Dallas is truly the most selfless guy we have on the team.  He doesn't care who gets the credit, he wants our team to win.  He is an encourager and a great leader.  He has a great arm and can run too — you have to have that — but his leadership and how he truly cares about the team is what separates him."

On if he thinks this team is being underrated:
"There is no doubt in my mind.  The proof is in the pudding, we have to go out there and prove it.  We have one of the tougher schedules in the country — everybody has talked about it — from the standpoint of where we play in the Sun Belt [Conference] and some other games out of conference that include two SEC teams and a San Diego State team that was the Mountain West champion.  There is no doubt we are much improved.  I don't want to compare year to year but I know we have improved overall as a team right now."

On the development of Jeremy Reaves:
"When he came in as a freshman we stuck him on the field and he didn't say a word, he was a good athlete who had to play.  Last year he got into a starting role and he almost seems like a senior now.  You can tell that he has taken a leadership role, he is truly encouraging guys and teaching the young guys what to do.  He deserves it, he has earned that right.  He's on my player council and is a guy I really trust.

"We moved him to corner even though he had a lot of tackles as our nickel because we feel that in our defense we have to start with our cornerbacks.  He is a physical guy, we put him to the boundary because a lot of people try to run the ball that way; he can make a lot of plays in the run game, but is also athletic enough to get deep.  You don't want to say someone is the most valuable player of your defense, but in a lot of ways I think he is in the top two or three.  He can do a lot of things for us — if we have an injury he can move to safety or nickel in about two days — and is so valuable in the regard that he can play anything in the back five positions."

On the team's pass rush:
"It was a real problem last year, I think we had 10 sacks the whole year; two years before that we were top six in the country.  We just didn't have a very good pass rush last year.  Our ends are very good pass rushers this year and our inside guys are starting to get better.  I have already noticed in practice that any time we go third down the offense is having a hard time getting the ball off, it wasn't that way last year.  The rush is getting better — [assistant] coach [Brian] Turner is doing a real good job with their technique, and we have better guys who are more athletic rushing the passer at this point.  It all comes down to that, and we have to improve there."

On the team's wide receivers:
"Tyrone Williams — who missed last year — is a very talented guy, he probably would've been a starter for us last year; he's doing extremely well.  Kevin Kutchera has had a good spring and summer at our 'X' position, Sa'Mory Collier is extremely fast, and Jordan McCray has made a ton of plays and is fighting for a starting spot.  We've got some new guys blending in who are all looking really good, I think we are going to be at least two deep at the receiver position."

On Roman Buchanan:
"We felt that the most valuable player on our defense, the guy we need to make the most plays, is our 'Stinger' linebacker position, our weakside linebacker.  This will be Roman's fourth year to start, he's the headiest player we have.  He didn't buy in the first couple of weeks after playing safety but he realizes now and comes up all the time saying it was the right move.  He's bought into it, he is going to be a true factor; that position needs to be the guy who makes the most tackles on the team so we put our best player at that spot."

Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent
On the progress of the offensive unit so far this fall and his expectations of them:
"We're extremely proud of where we are at (as a unit) today and where we've come from on day one.  We've taken the approach of attacking the day and taking things one day at a time.  These guys have really embraced that approach.  We've seen progression from day one to day 10 today.  The guys understand the importance of what we are trying to do, both on and off the field, whether it's mentally, physically, whether is X's and O's, whether it's team-building, they've really embraced it.  We're really excited where we're at right now."

On quarterback situation:
"Right now we've got three guys competing for the job.  Dallas Davis, who was the back up last year and was leading the race at the end of the spring, has really come in and had a solid fall camp.  Cole Garvin's first time in the offense was in the spring and he was still learning and getting comfortable with what we are doing.  He has made great progress throughout the summer and has had a solid fall camp.  Then you go to Evan Orth, who's really been in the offense going on his third year.  It's really been interesting to watch.  Evan has gotten better every day and he's very comfortable in what we do.  He can make all the throws.  He can run, so we've got a really good thing going.  All three guys are first-class guys.  They support each other, they're close on the field and off the field.  They all just want what's best for the football team.  Tha's kind of what we're getting out of everybody on this team right now."

On what has separated Dallas Davis from the other quarterbacks:
"Dallas has that 'It' factor.  People are drawn to him.  He's tough, he can run, he's a leader, he's got a strong arm and can make all the throws.  He brings guys with him.  When you talk about leadership, you have to talk about how many guys you can bring with you.  Dallas does a really good job of bringing guys with him to do the extra things."

On how he feels the offensive line has improved in their protection:
"I've been really pleased with our offensive line.  The biggest thing we've got to do is we have to get our best five on the field and get them enough opportunities to work together so they can gel together.  We've had some guys banged up with some minor things where they would miss a day or two, but there was a period of three days in a row that we had our best five out there together and it looked really good.  The played well together and protected the quarterback.  We were able to get a good push up front.  We feel like when we get our top five out there at the same time that we are pretty solid up front.  

"The biggest thing about that group is their mentality.  Their mentality right now is exactly where we want it to be at this point.  We want that to continue to grow.  Their mentality right now is to just be physical, be tough, play for each other, block for each other and doing it as one."

On the most explosive weapon on offense being the tight end:
"If you look back at the past three or four years here at South Alabama, one of the top one or two players on the offense has been a tight end.  Gerald Everett and Braden Bowman last year were that for us.  Two years ago it was Wes Saxton.  We've always had a real productive tight end.  That's been one of our staples offensively at South Alabama.  We want guys who can block obviously, but also guys who can stretch the field and create mismatches with the linebackers."

Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack
On the progression of the defensive unit from the spring to this point in fall camp and his expectations for the group:
"I'm very excited about where we are as a defense right now.  It's always fun to come in and build a group from the ground up.  I've got to say one of the things coach Jones does best is he allows his coaches to go out and execute and then he comes back and gives us input and holds us accountable for things.  For a new coordinator coming in to be able to implement out system in the swarm defense and everything we do within that and then to have that accountability day in and day out has been exciting.

"I think our players are in a good place right now.  They are confident in themselves.  They are confident in each other, which is the thing we stress the most.  When we step out onto the field, we want 11 bodies that care more about the guy next to them than they do themselves.  I think we've gotten them to buy into that mentality.  At the end of the day, it's about getting 11 guys to go out and execute at a high level, so if we can get them to buy into each other and trust each other, then that's where we want to be at.  I think we are heading in that direction."

On the importance of the whole defense buying into that mentality:
"Our situational philosophies are something that we stress a lot.  Not just going out and playing every play the same.  Third downs are played completely different from first down.  Red Zone is played completely different from the open field.  There are several different situations out on the field and what we want them to understand is what it is we are trying to do in that situation and what calls we are going to make in those situations.  I want them to have that confidence in that when this situation comes up, here's how we do it.  It holds me accountable as a coordinator so that when I go each week to game-plan, I can sit there and say 'I told the players this is what we are going to be', and they can trust that and be confident in that and go out and execute at a high level."

On play of Jeremy Reaves:
"Jeremy is a play maker.  He's a person who always brings energy.  He's confident in himself, which is really what you want in a boundary corner.  You want that balance between confidence and cockiness, and I think Jeremy does a great job of remaining confident in himself.   One of the three things we stress in our defense is having focused eyes.  As much as we focus our eyes on one snap at a time, regardless of what happened on the previous play.  When you are a corner and you just got beat on a deep play and now we are in the red zone, you've got to be able to focus your eyes on the next snap.  Jeremy does a phenomenal job of locking in for one play and executing at a high level."

On if there is concern about depth on the defensive line due to the injuries:
"When I got here in the spring, I felt that that was an area that we had some depth already.  You never want to get injuries at any position.  Coming in though, we felt like that if we could sustain some injuries at one position, it might be the defensive line.  The other part of that is that sometimes when young guys or less experienced guys get a chance, it's amazing to watch them step up and rise to the occasion.  We've got some players who haven't played as much as some others, but they've found a way to step up.  The bullets aren't live yet and the challenges will come.  Experience is everything at the end of the day.  That being said, they have not batted and eye to this point and I think that's encouraging from a coordinator's stand point."

On what he wants to see out of the first scrimmage on Saturday:
"Execution and energy.  I want to see swarm pursuit.  I want to see them fly around and use that relentless pursuit that we take about day in and day out.  Coaches don't have to talk about that as much at this point.  That's handled by our leaders and out older guys because that's a culture that we've built already.  It's just who we are.  When these young guys come in, that's what is demanded out of them and the high expectation expected out of them.  The level of execution part of it is on me as a play caller.  I believe in executing out defense at a high level.  I have to be held accountable in terms of the way that I call the defense.  We've got some really smart football players and it allows me to be a little bit more multiple in some of the things we're doing, but definitely energy and execution are the two things I'm looking for on Saturday."

Senior linebacker Roman Buchanan
On the team's progression in camp:
"Camp is going as smooth as can be expected right now. It is getting toward the end so there are a few guys with bangs and bruises, but that is typical and something that happens every year that you have to deal with. We are just starting to find out who a couple of guys are, and I am happy with what I see."

On expectations for this season:
"Our expectations are to be a top-15 defense nationally, so we are excited. We expect a lot of negative plays and turnovers, and to be a very disruptive defense. We want to be unstoppable in the red zone; we have very high expectations. We're excited for where this is going."

On making the transition to linebacker:
"I really didn't like it at first, and it took a while but I came to the realization that this is not just about me. They (coaches) put me here for a reason, and now I see that I am the best person for this job and I just had to embrace it. That's what the team needs right now, and I am a versatile player who can do more than one thing."

On playing for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack:
"You just know that you will be held accountable for whatever you do. He holds us responsible for our actions."

Senior safety Kalen Jackson
On the team's progression in camp:
"So far we have done a great job of learning what our philosophy is and we need to do as a defensive unit. If everyone just does their job, then we are going to be better as a unit. I am really proud of the young guys thus far. Some people had to step up and grow up early, and they have done a great job of coming in and embracing that task. I'm really excited for this year; I've never been this excited for a group of guys. We are playing together, and there is so much energy out there."

On playing for defensive coordinator Kane Wommack:
"He holds everyone responsible, no matter who it is. That's big because it proves that no one is bigger than the 'Swarm Defense.' It makes you want to go out there and make everybody proud. He just wants us to do our job, get to the ball and be excited about it."

Senior tight end Gerald Everett
On how fall camp has gone:  
"On day one, we came in to fall camp eager to get going.  The coaching staff has done a great job of bringing the team together, from meetings to motivational speakers to practicing hard every day.  We can't wait to get going."

On the pressure of being a key component of the offense:
"I love the pressure. Coach (Bryant) Vincent and Coach (Joey) Jones want to get the ball in my hands 10 to 12 times a game.  It may seem a bit much to some, but in my opinion, I feel like I'm a huge part of this offense and this team, and they rely on me for leadership and productivity.  I embrace the role that I have and I can't wait to get started."

On the adjustment of playing some running back:  
"I didn't really think of it as an adjustment. Coach Vincent came to me and told me, 'We want you to be our short yardage guy.'  Whatever the team needs, I feel like I need to be there and fill that void.  I appreciate the opportunity, and hopefully this year we keep it."

Senior offensive lineman Steven Foster
On his thoughts on how fall camp has been:
"I think for the most part it's been pretty good.  The offensive line has been tough and the offensive has made some great strides from the spring to now."

On the progress of the offensive line:
"Coach (Richard) Owens, our offensive line coach, has definitely instilled a lot of toughness in us. I think it's been a big change and it shows at practice. We're closer as group and we're a bunch of hard-nosed, gritty guys, so I think we're moving in the right direction. We have more work to do, but I think we're starting to solidify and show our toughness."

On the differences between a student-athlete and a regular student:
"I think you have to be mentally tough. To whom much is given, much is expected, so we just have to answer that call."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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