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Article on South Alabama's Progress Towards 1-A - Burn the Horse - 02-10-2009 09:44 AM
http://www.al.com/sports/birmi....xml&coll=2
Jones lines up first team for South Alabama
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
DOUG SEGREST
News staff writer
Most college coaches have an array of pitches when it comes to recruiting.
Joey Jones' pitch was simple.
"We're making history," the South Alabama football coach said he told recruits. "This will be the fastest anyone's gone from nothing to Division I in history. It took South Florida six years to get there."
South Alabama fields its first varsity team next fall and begins playing at the Division I-A level in 2011. By 2012, if the Jags meet NCAA minimum standards including an average home attendance of 15,000, they'll be eligible for the Sun Belt Conference title and a bowl game.
Jones just wrapped up his first recruiting class at the Mobile school, signing 31 players who have the chance to play Division I-A ball as juniors and seniors.
Among the signees are Leeds teammates Randon Carnathan, a defensive end, and defensive back Tony Threatt.
The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Carnathan had offers from Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss, but turned down the opportunity to play for the more established programs, choosing the gridiron upstart instead.
"South Alabama was up front from the start," Carnathan said. "Other programs were saying, `You have an offer from us, but there's another guy we're looking at.' South Alabama said I was their first choice."
The Jags focused heavily on the state of Alabama, and then branched out. Jones, a former University of Alabama receiver, landed three prospects from Tuscaloosa, another three from North Alabama and three more from the state of Louisiana.
Then he went international.