South Alabama Jaguars 2026 College Football Preview
Posted June 9, 2026
2025 Recap
Record – 4-8
ATS – 5-7
Well, that was ugly.
The Jaguars won their opener against something called Morgan St and then lost six (!) games in a row to fall to 1–6 — a stunning collapse for a team that had West‑division aspirations. They finally won their second game when they played the CORPSE of Georgia St, but eventually stumbled their way to a final record of 4–8.
Year three is a massive prove‑it season for HC Major Applewhite, who enters 2026 with a mark of 11–14 in Mobile.
South Alabama Jaguars 2026 Outlook
OFFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Sun Belt):
- Scoring: 26.5 PPG (#7 Sun Belt)
- Total Offense: 380.8 YPG (#9 Sun Belt)
- Rushing: 199.7 YPG (#4 Sun Belt)
- Passing: 181.2 YPG (#11 Sun Belt)
- Sacks Allowed: 23 (#6 Sun Belt)
The best news on offense is the return of one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the Sun Belt, Bishop Davenport — he posted a 68% completion rate, a 12–6 TD‑to‑INT ratio, and added 9 rushing TDs last season. The dood is a legitimate problem for opposing defenses and gives South Alabama a real difference‑maker under center.
The RB room takes a meaningful hit with the loss of 1,000‑yard workhorse Kentrel Bullock (14 TD LY)(!) to the NFL — that’s a real kick in the JACOBS — but the good news is that returning backs PJ Martin and Keenan Phillips combined for nearly 1,000 rushing yards as backups last season. Yup, the ground game should be just fine, particularly when you factor in Davenport’s ability to do damage with his legs.
At wide receiver, the Jags took another blow with the departure of their top two options, including Devin Voisin (776 yards, 4 TDs). Slot receiver Anthony Eager (40 catches) provides some returning production, but South Alabama didn’t make a major splash in the portal at the position, and it’s still unclear if they’ve got any true difference‑makers at the position. Maybe fall camp will give us some clues.
The offensive line did a fine job LY as evidenced by the 2025 rushing numbers and sacks allowed stats, and they appear to be in decent shape heading into this season. Two starters are back in the mix, they’ve got plenty of size, and they added a few transfers who should contribute right away — including talented former Monmouth interior lineman Shalik Hubbard.
DEFENSE
2025 By The Numbers (Sun Belt):
- Scoring Defense: 30.4 PPG (#10 Sun Belt)
- Total Defense: 381.6 YPG (#4 Sun Belt)
- Rush Defense: 176.6 YPG (#9 Sun Belt)
- Pass Defense: 205.0 YPG (#4 Sun Belt)
- Sacks: 12 (#13 Sun Belt)
Those numbers aren’t completely disgusting, but the Jags had trouble stopping the run and allowed 30 PPG. They’ve gotta find a way to achieve way more PENETRATION this season, and note that their sack total has dropped for four consecutive campaigns (32, 28, 27, 21, 12).
New defensive coordinator Todd Orlando brings serious pedigree — he’s been a DC at the FBS level continuously since 2005 with stops at Houston, Texas, USC, Florida Atlantic, and most recently USF. He previously worked alongside HC Major Applewhite at Houston in 2015–16, so the two men know each other well. His aggressive blitzing style should bring more turnovers and attacking pressure — a welcome change given the PENETRATION issues noted above. The challenge is integrating a new system with significant roster turnover simultaneously.
Up front, the DL is getting a new look. The hope is that transfers such as EDGE Masey Lewis (McNeese St, 4.5 sacks LY) and Dylan Chiedo (Furman) can generate the kind of pressure that was missing in 2025, and maybe some of the holdovers like DE Emmanuel Waller have additional upside. Tirrell Johnson (#5 tackles, 5 TFL) and Caleb Dozier are solid LB pieces, but there are quite a few changes to be made in the secondary with only one starter retained on the back end. CB Jayvon Henderson is legit, but safety could be a problem area after losing their reliable starting tandem.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter Aleksi Pulkkinen is back and holdover PK Davis Little takes over the full-time kicking duties. They’ll need to find a replacement for their crafty PR Devin Voison.
Schedule Analysis
Overall — The schedule sets up reasonably well for a bounce‑back season. Two challenging non‑conference road games at Tulane and Kentucky are balanced out by home tilts with Ohio and FCS foe SE Louisiana. The early Sun Belt schedule is soft enough to build some momentum, but they’ve got a tricky draw from the East (at Marshall, Appalachian St). Missing James Madison in crossover action is nice.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot — at Kentucky (Sept 26)
This will be their second nasty road game in three weeks, and Sun Belt play is right around the corner. Classic lay‑down‑and‑die scheduling spot, if you believe in that kind of thing, yo.
Season Win Total
Market consensus – June 9
Over 5.5 -140
Under 5.5 +110
MEGALOCKS says:
No LEANAGE.
This has the feel of a five or six-win team. The schedule certainly helps the cause for over backers, but we’ll take a pass for now.
Note – Our official list of season win total investments will be posted in the blog section of the website.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Mobile, Alabama has hosted the Senior Bowl since 1951 — making it one of the longest-running and most prestigious college all-star games in the country. Every January, the best senior talent in college football descends on the city as NFL scouts fill the stands.
Mobile doesn’t just throw a good party — it throws the OLDEST Mardi Gras celebration in the entire United States, dating all the way back to 1703. That’s right… French settlers were already getting rowdy in Mobile a full 15 years before New Orleans even existed. MARDI GRAS TRIVIA GRENADE: Mobile had Mardi Gras first — New Orleans is basically the tribute act.
The Jags are an ugly 5-13 ATS (28%) as a road favorite over the L10Y.
MEGALOCKS Forecast:
South Alabama is one of the tougher teams to project in the Sun Belt heading into 2026. The offense should be solid with Davenport leading the way, and the ground attack will keep them in the majority of their games. The two major questions with this squad are the THROW GAME weaponry and the rebuilt defense that features a lot of new cats.
The tiebreaker in our mind is a schedule that’s almost sure to lend them a helping hand. We’ll call for a 6–6 regular season and think the Jags can get back to the postseason where they belong.
Let’s go Jags!