On February 15th, 2008, Joey Jones was announced as the Jaguars first ever football coach in a history making press conference.
From the Mobile Press Register article on Feb. 16: "Calling it his "dream job," Jones, 45, accepted the task of building the program from the ground up, telling a crowd at the Mitchell Center, "You don't know how humbled I am to be standing here." With that, the Mobile native took charge of Jaguar football.
He said his cell phone "has been ringing off the hook" with calls from interested coaches.
"The bad part is I'm going to have to say no to some good coaches, but you can't believe how many people are interested," he said. Coach Jones wasn't kidding. He has put together quite an impressive staff that will help build the Jaguar football program.
Click the date to get further details on the coaches and to read each press release from South Alabama.
2/27/08 Former Auburn quarterback and Mobile native Dameyune Craig was announced as Coach Jones's first hire. Craig's official title will be running backs coach but he will also undoubtedly assist the O.C. with the quarterbacks. Craig's experience at every level of college football and tenure in professional football combined with his local roots and familiarity with the area should help to provide a solid early foundation for the Jags. “We are extremely excited about bringing Dameyune into the South Alabama family,” Coach Jones said. “He is a man of great character and will be an excellent addition to our staff. I was very impressed with the passion he has for coaching and recruiting, but more importantly, I am impressed with the desire he has to be a positive influence on the young men who will play here at South Alabama.”
2/29/08 Former Texas A&M offensive coordinator Les Koenning was named as the Jaguars offensive coordinator. Koenning brings 26 years of collegiate coaching experience to the table having coached at Houston, TCU, and Alabama prior to running the offense at Texas A&M. “There are two main reasons that I was immediately attracted to this position,” Koenning said. “The main reason is Joey Jones. He is well respected in Alabama and that is a great benefit. The second is that I am excited to be on the ground level of something big. Mobile is a great area, especially in football recruiting. The university has had great success in all sports and it is exciting to think of having that in football.”
3/3/08 Bill Clark of Prattville High School was named by Coach Jones as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach and Assistant Head Coach for the Jaguars. Clark comes from a Prattville team that is the two-time Alabama Class 6A defending champion. In Clark's 9 years at Prattville, the Lions posted a 107-11 record having suffered their last regular season defeat in the second week of the 2002 season. "I have had a long relationship with Joey and we have always had a desire to work together, particularly at the collegiate level,” Clark said. “I feel like we have the chance to do something great here. From my time in the state, I know the quality of athletics at South Alabama and the quality of athletes in the Mobile area.”
3/7/08 John Turner, from the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, was named the offensive line coach, the same position he held at UTC (also served as Asst. Head Coach in 2005 at UTC). Turner brings coaching experience from UTC, Western Carolina, Clemson, and Auburn as well as from Alabama high schools Daleville, Dothan High, and UMS Wright.
3/22/08 Coach Jones added his final two coaches for the early spring hiring process. Duwan Walker, who was a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator under Bill Clark at Prattville, will rejoin Coach Clark at USA and will coach the defensive backs for the Jaguars. Brian Turner, brother of the Jags new offensive line coach John Turner, will serve as the Jaguars recruiting coordinator and will also work with the defensive staff. Turner handled similar responsibilities while at Troy University for the past 5 seasons.
I really like the blend of this coaching staff, especially that the Jags not only have several local guys, but local guys who more than qualify for the positions that they have been hired for. Local roots and ties, while not terribly important for most programs, will serve to get this Jaguar program off on strong footing. Local knowledge and influence will help in recruiting (and attendance for that matter) during the early stages of this building process. And the process begins now.
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