By Emory Hunt
SouthernPigskin.com

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Its time for Steve Campbell to continue to push the program forward.

The South Alabama Jaguars football program is trying something new this upcoming season. They are rolling out a new Jag in Head Football Coach Steve Campbell. The program has only been around since 2008 and has only known Joey Jones as its leader. Jones stepped down after the season after compiling a 52-48 record and two-bowl appearances. Its time for Campbell to continue to push the program forward and in a new direction.

What a great time to be a Jaguar fan/alum because youre going from a highly successful Joey Jones to a highly successful Steve Campbell. Campbell has a track record of success dating back to his playing days at both Southeastern Louisiana and Troy State, where he was a member of the 1987 National Championship squad. He starred as a center in college and has become known for the stellar job he does in the trenches. In 1997, Campbell was given his 1st head coaching opportunity at Southwest Mississippi Junior College where he led the Bears to their 1st winning season in 12 years. He then moved on to Delta State where in 2000 he led them to a Division II National Championship. And he most recently built Central Arkansas of the FCS into a perennial winner not just in the Southland Conference, but also in the FCS.

In my opinion, Campbell is more than ready to take on the challenge of coaching at the FBS level. When you have experience in coaching at the JUCO, D2 and FCS levels, you develop skills that are invaluable as you move up. One thing thats vastly underrated about coaches at the lower levels is that they are tasked to do more with less. Coaches at those levels tend to wear many hats. The fact that is the case with most JUCO-FCS programs, you normally dont see coaches have this level of consistent, or sustained success. Campbell has that pedigree and track record.

On the field, what Jaguar fans can expect is a team thatll be built from the inside out. Campbells teams are known for how they dominate both sides of the lines of scrimmage. That philosophy has been proven time and time again to be a successful one. Also, Campbell has proven to be an excellent recruiter because of that philosophy, which is what you want to hear if youre a fan of the Jaguars as everyone knows how vital recruiting and development, is the lifeblood of a college football program.

Joey Jones did a great job in setting the foundation in place with this program. Steve Campbell will do a great job building on that foundation and take this program to new heights in the Sun Belt Conference.