The Jungle Picks: South Alabama vs. Southeastern Louisiana

Well, we made it, Jaguar Fans. Another seemingly endless, interminable offseason is over and we are in the midst of our first game week of 2026. A special time, indeed.

That period right before a season begins is different every year. There may be the heightened interest and curiosity of a new coaching regime, the excitement of a returning roster of successful veterans (a vanishingly rare event in the G6 these days), or the excitement of the unknown as offseason changes in the coaching staff or player roster makes the upcoming season a mystery.

South Alabama falls squarely into the third category this year. Major Applewhite's initial season as head coach went well - a 7-6 record and the program's second-straight bowl championship, Applewhite's first as a head coach - but late-breaking transfers devastated the roster at key spots before Year Two, derailing offseason planning, and the program limped to a 4-8 record.

Knowing that this is a critical season for both the program and himself, Applewhite did not sit idly by. Knowing that South Alabama gets outspent by a 4-1 ratio by the top teams in the Sun Belt (and over 40-1 by the top teams nationally), rebuilding the roster, which again suffered significant losses, with proven and expensive talent wasn't an option. Instead, he revamped the coaching staff with new assistants at the positions of offensive line, wide receiver, tight end, defensive line and safeties, with a new and widely-respected defensive coordinator in Todd Orlando (who also assumed linebacker coaching duties) and taking over offensive playcalling himself. With these changes, plus a recruiting strategy that consisted of retention of a few key players, targeted acquisition of a limited number of prospects from the transfer portal and an emphasis on bringing in early-enrolling high school recruits to fill out the depth chart, the Jaguars enter into the season with renewed hope for success.

First up for 2026 - the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana. Let's see what our panel thinks:

Doug Konkel

South Alabama could (and maybe should) have picked a much easier FCS tuneup than this. SELA entered the season with a preseason #19 ranking, a lot of experienced players and high hopes for returning to the playoffs. All that came crashing down, however, when they were upset 34-28 in their opener last Thursday by Southland Conference rival Houston Christian, a team that only won two games the year before. Nevertheless, there are still a multitude of reasons to take this opponent seriously. They've got a new offensive coordinator (who was the running back coach at ULL for the last four years) that's brought in an attack that matches the talent they have, namely a cadre of good running backs and a very mobile quarterback. Against HCU they consistently attacked the edges with a spread option running game, mixed in with short passes also mostly out to the perimeter. The results were there as they racked up 248 yards on the ground at 4.9 yards per carry, but what killed them was putting the ball on the ground with six fumbles, losing two, along with throwing an early interception. They've got receivers with speed and I fully expect them to take a few deep shots, but throwing deep does not appear to be a strength and they will lean on that strong running attack until and unless they get into a big hole on the scoreboard. Defensively, where they were very strong last year, they showed they are not the same squad after personnel losses gutted their interior defensive line and secondary. HCU's quarterback didn't bring great passing skills into the game, but he was able to gash them with improvised runs and hit receivers just enough to burn the Lions. South Alabama should be able to move the ball on them with the versatile Bishop Davenport, running backs Keenan Phillips, PJ Martin & Friends, and a revamped offensive line.

How the Jags will fare defensively is a little harder to predict. Orlando's defense is predicated on bringing pressure from different points, but a call for pressure to the wrong side from the running play could result in a big gain for the Lions. I looked at South Florida's schedule last year and they played a team in Rice that ran something similar, although a bit more run-heavy, and held them to three points and a total of 257 yards, so that's a good sign.

It's invaluable that SELA had to open up the playbook against HCU and South Alabama has that tape to work with this Saturday, but they also have the advantage of having played a game and knocked off some rust, in addition to learning where they need to improve. They seem to have suffered a couple of notable injuries at running back and linebacker, but this is still a quality FCS team. The line for the game is USA favored by between 11.5 and 13.5 points. That's a little more than I'm comfortable with. Give me the Jags to win, but only by 10.

Caleb Seaver

Last year was a weird year for the Jaguars, a year that felt a lot worse than it was. South Alabama struggled to a 4-8 record, but the majority of their games were decided by two possessions or fewer, most of them losses. South Alabama will have to be better at the small things this year, and the revamped coaching staff will have to do some work for the Jags to find their way back to a bowl this year.

Not an easy start to the year for the Jaguars with Southeastern Louisiana coming to Mobile Saturday. The Lions are coming off a 2025 FCS playoff appearance and were picked second in the Southland this year. The good news is, preseason expectations don't equal results, as Southeastern suffered a big home upset loss to Houston Christian. The Lions looked very sloppy in their home opener, with 6 fumbles during the game, an interception, and virtually no success in the passing game. The Lions do run the ball well, and did so against HCU. Despite the loss, this is still a talented team that could give South Alabama some issues if they are able to establish the run game.

South Alabama returns some key players on offense, Bishop Davenport back at quarterback, PJ Martin and Keenan Phillips at running back, along with Anthony Eager and Micah Woods at receiver. This is a fairly talented group and along with Major Applewhite calling plays, it could be a much improved year offensively. Defense and special teams are the big question mark. A new coach, a new scheme, a ton of new players, to be honest, it is tough to predict how this unit is going to look, but based on expectations I do expect pass defense to be a major struggle this year. The special teams unit also has a long way to go, South Alabama had MAJOR struggles here last year, partially due to injuries, but there has to be some improvement for South Alabama to have a successful season.

Overall, looking ahead to this week, I do believe South Alabama matches up fairly well against their talented FCS foe. If South Alabama can establish the run game early, force Southeastern to pass the ball and most importantly limit mistakes, expect them to win fairly easily. I expect them to cover the spread in this one, and am taking the Jags over the Lions never trailing and winning 45-21.

Tres Harrison

The Jags look to start the season off right against a tough opponent in SELA. For many fans, it could be incredibly easy to write off the Lions. That is absolutely not the case for this Saturday. Looking strictly at the numbers, SELA put up some powerful offensive numbers and launched a strong look at a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Their run-heavy offense showed that they definitely have some effective legs under them with a combined effort showing 248 rushing yards. Then, in the passing game, we can see the Lions don't have a singular favored target, spreading the ball fairly evenly. The Lions have shown that they are willing and able to involve everyone on offense and will pull zero punches when they identify weakness in a defense. South Alabama's defensive players will have to start the year strong against a dangerous roulette wheel of an offense. On top of that, we should expect to see some fourth down attempts from the Lions as they went 4 for 5 in their loss last week.

That being said, the Jags have some strong looks on offense with Bishop Davenport and a multifaceted running backs room looking to come out and have a day. The offense has a multitude of weapons to look forward to, but this being Week 1, this is a chance to see what areas of our offensive game needs to be revised.

The fact of the matter is that SELA has measured stats where the Jags are still shrouded in mystery and wrapped in an enigma. But what I've made a note of is the six fumbles from the Lions of which only two were lost, their incredibly strong run game, and their refusal to quit. Add on the fact that the Lions have had a week to adjust, and you've got someone looking to make a solid run at South Alabama. But, I predict the Jags will pull through and diagnose some of their own issues to get us ready for Week 2. Jags by 17.

South Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana will kickoff from Hancock Whitney Stadium at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. You can catch the neutral television broadcast on ESPN+ or hear the South Alabama broadcast on the Jag Radio Network.

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