Talking Jaguar Football with Tommy Hicks

I was privileged to speak with Tommy Hicks from the Mobile Press Register this afternoon about the South Alabama football program.  Thanks to him and see our conversation below.  Check out his work via AL.com by clicking on this LINK.

PantherTalk.com: What was the rationale behind hiring a High School Coach [Joey Jones] instead of going after a college assistant?

Tommy Hicks: Joey wasn't actually South's first choice.  They actually interviewed 3 other candidates including Alabama Defensive Coordinator Kevin Steele.  Joey would have been my first choice as he helped start Birmingham Southern's program.  He's a Mobile guy and played at Alabama.  It wasn't necessary [for South Alabama's coach], but it didn't hurt. He had been pretty successful as a high school coach and had relationships with the other high school coaches.  He's very personable and had always put together strong high school staffs.

PT: Have you seen where he's actually 3rd in Liberty Mutual's Coach of the Year Voting?

TH: I have heard about that.  That's pretty interesting.

PT: What was the thoughts behind the schedule of the last two years? 

TH: The first thing that you have to know if that there were 2 different ADs.  [Joe] Gottfried wanted to have a limited schedule with 7 games against prep schools and military academies.  When he left, [Joel] Erdmann saw how much talent they had put together and wanted to schedule all 4 years schools including Division II, FCS and NAIA schools.  There are already contracts in place to play NC State [in 2011] and Tennessee in 2013.

PT: How has the fans of Mobile and the surrounding areas embraced South Alabama's program?

TH: I've been suprised by the fan support.  I expected fans to choose between 1 [Alabama/Auburn] or South.  There was 23,000 for Nicholls State but last weekend [vs. Missouri S&T] there was only 14,000.  It was a 4pm start and Alabama and South Carolina were on. 

PT: How are Jaguar fans viewing the Georgia State game?

TH: It definitely will be one of the toughest games of the year.  I think it's part of a three game stretch that the team has circled.  It may be the largest crowd because Alabama is on a bye, Auburn is playing on the road [at Ole Miss].  It may provide a very good atmosphere because the team is coming from Atlanta.  The fans have been paying attention to Lamar, UTSA and Georgia State to see how they are doing.

PT: How much of an impact did club football have on the football program?  Would it have happend without the club team?

TH: [Club Football at USA] wasn't the trigger.  The timing was right and the belief it could work was there.  [The previous] ticket push did not work.  [Note: South Alabama tried several times to generate 6,000 season ticket pledges and failed multiple times]. The Chief Financial Officer for the school came to the President after 3 straight years of making money.  The President was behind [football] if the school could afford it.  The President was then motivated to look into it and took a $50 fee increase to the students earmarked for football.  They overwhelmingly approved. [South Alabama's President Gordon] Moulton was not going to build a band aid situation.  The student fee raised $4 million for football.  They then built an $8 million facility with a state of the art weight room, two outdoor practice fields, LCD TVs in the coaches offices and meeting rooms.

PT: Is Laad-Peebles the long term solution for a stadium or is there a plan to build an on campus stadium?

TH: Definitely going to build a stadium.  There are no drawings or public discussions but they will at least admit their are discussions.

PT: Has the coaching staff been surpised by the recruits they've been able to land? Who does South Alabama view as recruiting rivals?

TH: They've been suprised.  Grabbing a guy like Jake Johnson [transfer] from Virginia Tech. They are building for 2013.  The coaching staff specifically targetted defensive line and offensive line recruits.  They've got to have guys ready for that point.  They recruited junior college guys but once they leave the newer guys have to be ready by then.  As far as recruiting rivals, Troy, Southern Miss and other Sun Belt Schools.  Going into Mississippi, the panhandle of Florida and getting guys in state.  Schools like Central Florida.  They are going to hope to sneak a guy like Troy did with Osi Umenyiora and Demaracus [Ware].

Thanks to Tommy Hicks for great insight and I would urge Panther fans to read up on South Alabama.  I truly think they are doing things differently than we are but it's going to get real quick for them.  The next three games at Lamar, at UC Davis and at home vs. Georgia State will tell the coaching staff a ton about where they are as a program.