The first preseason camp of the Terrence Graves era at Southern University begins Thursday when the Jaguars report for their monthlong preparations for the 2024 football season.
As many as 36 new faces will be among the 110 reporting, with practice set to begin Friday. The players will gather for a team dinner after reporting and then a full-team meeting with the coaching staff Thursday.
The Jaguars will practice at 8 p.m. while in camp and switch to afternoon practices when classes begin Aug. 19.
“The first part of the season is played at night,” Graves said. “I want to get them acclimated to that and keep them out of the excessive heat. We’ve got to be smart whether we go early in the morning or at night. I’ve done it at other places, and it was good for everybody.
“I thought the team did a real good job in summer conditioning. They did what was expected of them, worked hard. We’ve got a ways to go, but they attacked the summer the right way. We’ll condition during camp also. Everybody is healthy.”
It’s the first camp for Graves, the 31-year veteran assistant who is getting his first full-time head coaching gig. He served 19 years in three separate stretches as a Southern assistant — two under Pete Richardson — and he had short stints at Grambling, Mississippi Valley State and Norfolk State.
He takes over for Eric Dooley, another Richardson protege who was unable to get the program going despite winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division in his first season. The Jaguars finished 6-5 last season, including 5-3 in SWAC play.
Southern will practice six times before working out in full pads per NCAA rules, with major scrimmages planned for Aug. 10 and Aug. 17. The season opener is set for Aug. 31 at McNeese State, and the first SWAC game is at Prairie View on Sept. 21.
Lose one, gain one
SMU transfer defensive tackle Stephon Wright, who signed with Southern in February, flipped to Texas Southern. The Jaguars evened the score by bringing in Texas Southern transfer junior wide receiver Quay Davis (5-foot-11, 211 pounds), who had 15 catches for 149 yards last season.
Number change
All-America defensive end Ckelby Givens will wear a different jersey number in 2024. The 6-2, 245-pound Shreveport native will wear No. 1 after wearing No. 92 his first two seasons.
“It’s just a number. You still have to put the work in,” Givens said at SWAC media day earlier this month.
Givens a preseason All-American
Givens was the only Southern player named to the BOXTOROW preseason All-America team. He led the Southern defense with 21 tackles for loss and seven sacks with eight quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one recovery.
Grambling had two players named to the team — quarterback Myles Crawley and offensive lineman Tahj Martin. In all, 15 SWAC players were named to the team.