Corey Batoon will be calling football defenses again.
Batoon, a Saint Louis School graduate and former University of Hawaii defensive coordinator, has reached agreement on a two-year contract to become South Alabama’s play-caller.
“It’s on to the next chapter,” said Batoon, 52, who coached Liberty’s safeties this past season.
Batoon will be reunited with Kane Wommack, who was hired as the Jaguars’ head coach earlier this month. Batoon and Wommack were on the Ole Miss staff in 2012 and 2013. Batoon considers Wommack’s father, Dave Wommack, as a football mentor. Kane Wommack was Indiana’s defensive coordinator the past four years.
“Kane called and asked if we’d be interested in coming down and getting the program going, so we’re in,” Batoon said.
Major Applewhite, a former Texas quarterback and Houston head coach, will serve as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator.
Batoon was UH’s defensive coordinator for two seasons through 2019. With the UH coaching change following Nick Rolovich’s resignation in January, Batoon accepted Liberty coach Hugh Freeze’s offer to coach the safeties. Batoon and Freeze worked together at Ole Miss and Arkansas State.
This past Saturday, Liberty completed a 10-1 season with a 37-34 victory over ninth-ranked Coastal Carolina in the Cure Bowl.
“Heck, we were one field goal away from being undefeated and beating three ACC teams,” said Batoon, referencing the Flames’ 15-14 loss to North Carolina State.
Liberty, which competes as an independent, used a 4-2-5 defense — the same nickel-based scheme the Rainbow Warriors ran during a 10-5 season in 2019. Batoon said he will implement the 4-2-5 scheme at South Alabama. That scheme was known as “Swamp D” at Liberty and “Land Sharks” at Ole Miss.
“Hopefully, we can go down there and bring some of the magic, and hopefully we can get the program over the top,” Batoon said.
The Jaguars used to play their home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, long-time site of the Senior Bowl. The $78-million Hancock Whitney Stadium opened this year on the South Alabama campus. Because of coronavirus-related restrictions, the Jaguars have yet to play in front of their home crowd in the new stadium.
