2024 South Alabama
7–6 (5–3 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Major Applewhite. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Northwestern State 87–10Sep 12
By 77 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Ohio 20–27Sep 7
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs North Texas | L 38–52 | 69% |
| Sep 7 | at Ohio | L 20–27 | 39% |
| Sep 12 | vs Northwestern State | W 87–10 | 91% |
| Sep 19 | at App State | W 48–14 | 34% |
| Sep 28 | at 14LSU | L 10–42 | 29% |
| Oct 5 | at Arkansas State | L 16–18 | 53% |
| Oct 15 | vs Troy | W 25–9 | 60% |
| Oct 26 | vs UL Monroe | W 46–17 | 67% |
| Nov 2 | vs Georgia Southern | L 30–34 | 66% |
| Nov 16 | at Louisiana | W 24–22 | 32% |
| Nov 23 | at Southern Miss | W 35–14 | 79% |
| Nov 29 | vs Texas State | L 38–45 | 64% |
| Dec 14Bowls & playoff | vs Western MichiganSalute to Veterans Bowl | W 30–23 | 65% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Western Michigan 30–23 in the Salute to Veterans Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 4th in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 16 on file).
- Record
- 7–6
- Conference
- 5–3 tied for 4th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 447–327
- Coach
- Major Applewhite
- Elo
- 1554 +3 this season
- SP+ rating
- 2.8 No. 61 of 134; offense No. 47, defense No. 71, special teams No. 71
- SRS
- −1.7 No. 72 of 134 in FBS
- Returning
- 37% of last season’s EPA, No. 84 of 133
- Recruiting class
- No. 84 roster talent No. 94 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Rob Ezell
- Defensive coordinator
- Will Windham
- Offense
- Multiple spread
- Defense
- Multiple 4–2–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.28 | 49% | 1.27 | 5th of 134 |
| Defense | 0.09 | 42% | 1.23 | 62nd of 134 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.21 off 0.10 def | 45% off 43% def | — | 17th off 65th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.7 | own 29 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 3.7 | own 29 | 16% caused |
CORE rating 7.5, 41st of 134 (offense 8.2, defense 0.8).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Giovanni Lopez QB | 2,557 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Giovanni Lopez QB | 18 TD |
| Rushing yards | Fluff Bothwell RB | 834 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Fluff Bothwell RB | 13 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jamaal Pritchett WR | 1,126 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jamaal Pritchett WR | 9 TD |
| Tackles | Blayne Myrick LB | 101 tkl |
| Sacks | Courtney McBride LB | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jaden Voisin S | 5 INT |
Top recruits in the 2024 class
| Tyler Carter DE | ★★★ | No. 962 |
| Jerrian Graham ATH | ★★★ | No. 1034 |
| Jared Hollins QB | ★★★ | No. 1220 |
| Jeremy Scott WR | ★★★ | No. 1591 |
| Achilles Woods DE | ★★★ | No. 1794 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2024 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.860 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.826 |
| Receivers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.828 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.833 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.822 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.832 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 3.0 | 0.832 |
| Whole class | 18 | 3.0 | 0.834 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Roster 122
The 2024 roster122 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2024 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 15
The 2024 portal Jayden Hobson OT | ★★★ | from  Mississippi State |
 Andrew Bench TE | ★★★ | from  Bowling Green |
 Ethan Hubbard OT | ★★★ | from  Duke |
 Lardarius Webb Jr. S | ★★★ | from  Oklahoma State |
 Malachi Preciado OL | ★★★ | from  Purdue |
 Aakil Washington LB | ★★★ | from  Liberty |
 Bryston Dixon DL | ★★★ | from  Georgia Tech |
| Noah Toster WR | ★★★ | from Chowan |
 Courtney McBride DE | ★★★ | from  Florida Atlantic |
 Iverson Celestine RB | ★★★ | from  Tulane |
 Micah Woods WR | ★★★ | from  Buffalo |
 Tre’Darius Brown DL | ★★★ | from  Texas Tech |
And 3 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 16
 Caullin Lacy WR | ★★★★ | to  Louisville |
| Yamarus Banks S | ★★★★ | to  Ole Miss |
| Jaden Voisin S | ★★★ | returned to  South Alabama |
| Khalil Jacobs LB | ★★★ | to  Missouri |
| Marquise Robinson CB | ★★★ | to  Arkansas |
| Dontae Lucas OL | ★★★ | to  Southern Miss |
| Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge DE | ★★★★ | to Iowa Central C.C. |
| Adrein Strickland OT | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Caeleb Schlachter TE | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jamarrien Burt S | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| James Robinson OL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Keith Gallmon S | ★★ | to  Austin Peay |
And 4 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2024 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Marshall | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
| Louisiana | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Georgia Southern | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
| Arkansas State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| Texas State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| South Alabama | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
 James Madison | 4–4 | 9–4 | |
 Old Dominion | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
 Coastal Carolina | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
| App State | 3–5 | 5–6 | |
| UL Monroe | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Troy | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
 Georgia State | 1–7 | 3–9 | |
| Southern Miss | 0–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.