South Alabama: a football coaching history
See South Alabama’s full 91-year Zeitgeist History →← all coaches
Stature and coaches, 2012–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
2024–now
Major Applewhite Steady
Major Applewhite held South Alabama at Regional Program III for 3 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
+0.4 pts over 3 seasons · top 32% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Sean Lewis’s Kent State run (2018–2022)
2nd-best South Alabama tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Kane Wommack (2021–2023).
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 7-6 | 4-8 | 4-4 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #84 | #118 | #77 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 46.7 | 36.9 | 37.3 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Rob Ezell | Paul Petrino | — | |
| DC | Will Windham | Jason Washington / Will Windham | Jason Washington / Todd Orlando | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 93 | 36 | 58 | |
| Defense | 74 | 25 | 7 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 45.6 | 34.5 | 35.2 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 31.7 | 18.5 | 25.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 40.5 | 67.4 | 52.6 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent on offense and performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
+21.5 pts
#36 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
+5.1 pts
#79 of 208 · middle half
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Portal arrivals
50
2.9★ avg rating
Portal departures
70
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-20
#61 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Brings in smaller-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits younger transfers than most — more of a development bet.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 233 lbs
across 36 of 50 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
-0.3 lbs
#234 of 255 · bottom quarter
Avg. class year
Jr
#230 of 255 · bottom quarter
Top states: AL (10), GA (7), FL (5), NC (2), LA (2)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
50.9
position-weighted
Talent lost
56.2
position-weighted
Net
-5.3
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Zach Pyron (QB) from Minnesota
Biggest loss: Gio Lopez (QB) to North Carolina
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Rob Ezell → Paul Petrino · 2025
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
1st-down pass rate: 45.6% → 34.5% (-11.1 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 25% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Will Windham → Jason Washington (co) / Will Windham · 2025
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
DC: Jason Washington (co) / Will Windham → Jason Washington (co) / Todd Orlando · 2026
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
208 lbs
6′1″ avg · #534 of 767 · middle half
Running back
205 lbs
5′10″ avg · #502 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
185 lbs
5′11″ avg · #692 of 791 · bottom quarter
Tight end
248 lbs
6′4″ avg · #247 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
304 lbs
6′4″ avg · #586 of 779 · bottom quarter
D-line
280 lbs
6′3″ avg · #469 of 753 · middle half
Linebacker
231 lbs
6′2″ avg · #268 of 772 · middle half
Cornerback
183 lbs
5′11″ avg · #690 of 771 · bottom quarter
Safety
195 lbs
6′0″ avg · #227 of 346 · middle half
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Interior line via the portal
62%
#42 of 224 stints
Grows Quarterback from high school
75%
#164 of 206 stints
Grows Wide receiver from high school
70%
#192 of 243 stints
Postseason detail2024: Beat Western Michigan 30-23 IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl
AI Narratives — “South Alabama — stat check”.
+0.4
15-18
2021–2023
Kane Wommack Steady
Kane Wommack moved the Jaguars from Regional Program V to Regional Program III in 3 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
+8.2 pts over 3 seasons · top 7% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Gerry DiNardo’s LSU run (1995–1999)
3rd-best South Alabama tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Steve Campbell (2018–2021) · succeeded by Major Applewhite (2024–now).
System Shift, on arrival
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 5-7 | 10-3 | 7-6 | |
| Postseason | — | L bowl | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | #121 | #102 | #90 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 48.1 | 47.0 | 47.7 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Major Applewhite | Major Applewhite | Major Applewhite | |
| DC | Corey Batoon | Corey Batoon | Corey Batoon | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 23 | 65 | 89 | |
| Defense | 57 | 62 | 91 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 47.9 | 43.7 | 43.3 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 36.7 | 30.4 | 30.8 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 66.7 | 44.4 | 43.3 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Offense vs. talent
+14.5 pts
#52 of 208 · top quarter
Defense vs. talent
+25.0 pts
#18 of 208 · top quarter
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Roster construction · portal era
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Portal arrivals
37
3.0★ avg rating
Portal departures
25
left via the portal
Net portal flow
+12
#99 of 187 FBS stints
Who they bring in
Brings in smaller-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 229 lbs
across 21 of 37 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+1.7 lbs
#201 of 255 · bottom quarter
Avg. class year
Jr
#5 of 255 · top quarter
Top states: AL (7), MS (5), TX (3), GA (2), OR (1)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
52.1
position-weighted
Talent lost
45.3
position-weighted
Net
+6.8
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Bishop Davenport (QB) from Utah State
Biggest loss: Chance Lovertich (QB) to Mississippi State
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
217 lbs
6′3″ avg · #265 of 767 · middle half
Running back
207 lbs
5′9″ avg · #393 of 791 · middle half
Wide receiver
191 lbs
6′0″ avg · #484 of 791 · middle half
Tight end
247 lbs
6′3″ avg · #308 of 731 · middle half
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
310 lbs
6′4″ avg · #316 of 779 · middle half
D-line
277 lbs
6′2″ avg · #540 of 753 · middle half
Linebacker
233 lbs
6′2″ avg · #194 of 772 · middle half
Cornerback
189 lbs
6′0″ avg · #459 of 771 · middle half
Safety
200 lbs
6′0″ avg · #87 of 346 · top quarter
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys Athlete via the portal
40%
#7 of 146 stints
Buys Quarterback via the portal
67%
#16 of 206 stints
Postseason detail2022: Lost to Western Kentucky 23-44 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl2023: Beat Eastern Michigan 59-10 68 Ventures Bowl
2 NFL Draft picks: Jalen Tolbert (2022), Darrell Luter Jr. (2023)
+8.2
22-16
2018–2021
Steve Campbell Steady
Steve Campbell slid South Alabama from Regional Program IV to Regional Program V in 3 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
−3.6 pts over 3 seasons · bottom 44% of 3-5-season tenures (717 in sample)
Closest comparable run: Jerry Baldwin’s Louisiana run (1999–2001)
4th-best South Alabama tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Followed Joey Jones (2012–2017) · succeeded by Kane Wommack (2021–2023).
System Shift, on arrival
| Season | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 3-9 | 2-10 | 4-7 | 0-0 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #115 | #125 | #109 | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | 39.5 | 35.7 | 45.5 | — | |
| Coordinators | |||||
| OC | Kenny Edenfield | Kenny Edenfield | Kenny Edenfield | — | |
| DC | Greg Stewart | Greg Stewart | Greg Stewart | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | 18 | 11 | 19 | — | |
| Defense | 13 | 50 | 30 | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | 31.7 | 33.2 | 36.6 | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | 30.0 | 18.2 | 36.6 | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 50.0 | 44.0 | 52.2 | — | |
Recruiter or developer?
Underperforms his recruiting talent on offense and performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
-23.1 pts
#183 of 208 · bottom quarter
Defense vs. talent
-9.2 pts
#145 of 208 · middle half
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Running back from high school
100%
#196 of 208 stints
Grows Tackle from high school
100%
#198 of 223 stints
1 NFL Draft pick: Kawaan Baker (2021)
−3.6
9-26
2012–2017
Joey Jones Steady
Joey Jones held South Alabama at Regional Program II for 6 seasons.
No outlier style signal this stint
1st-best South Alabama tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Succeeded by Steve Campbell (2018–2021).
System Shift, on departure
| Season | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||
| Record | 2-11 | 6-6 | 6-7 | 5-7 | 6-7 | 4-8 | |
| Postseason | — | — | L bowl | — | L bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #113 | #92 | #114 | #88 | #87 | #116 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||
| Pass rate | 47.9 | 44.7 | 43.4 | 42.3 | 46.9 | 52.3 | |
| Coordinators | |||||||
| OC | — | — | Bryant Vincent / Robert Matthews | Bryant Vincent | Bryant Vincent | Bryant Vincent | |
| DC | — | — | Travis Pearson | Travis Pearson | Kane Wommack | Kane Wommack | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||
| Offense | 9 | 42 | 12 | 17 | 51 | 6 | |
| Defense | 82 | 37 | 31 | 24 | 40 | 58 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 43.1 | 43.0 | 38.5 | 29.8 | 33.3 | 46.4 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 40.6 | 30.8 | 44.6 | 31.1 | 31.2 | 54.3 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 28.3 | 31.7 | 14.3 | 28.9 | 42.5 | 29.7 | |
Recruiter or developer?
Underperforms his recruiting talent on offense and performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
-17.4 pts
#170 of 208 · bottom quarter
Defense vs. talent
-2.3 pts
#117 of 208 · middle half
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
DC: Travis Pearson → Kane Wommack · 2016The defense improved
2-season window either side.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Kicker from high school
100%
#52 of 56 stints
Grows Tight end from high school
100%
#164 of 188 stints
Postseason detail2014: Lost to Bowling Green 28-33 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl2016: Lost to Air Force 21-45 Bowl
1 NFL Draft pick: Gerald Everett (2017)
Regional Program II
29-46