Conference: Sun Belt
Coach Stats
Why should this nominee be considered for the Broyles Award?
In his first season at South, Batoon has led a unit that leads the Sun Belt in rushing, total, team passing efficiency, third-down conversion and red zone defense — and stands among the top 25 nationally — after ranking in the bottom half of the conference in each of those categories in 2020. Under his direction, the Jaguars have forced 22 turnovers and are on track to allowed the fewest total yards per game since the 2012 season, both figures that are on pace to rank among the top five in program history. Since the start of Sun Belt play, South has limited undefeated West Division leader Louisiana to less than 300 yards of total offense while not allowing the Ragin’ Cajuns to score over the final 40 minutes of the contest and held East Division front-runner Appalachian State more than 130 yards below its season average last time out.
Coach's Past Performance
Batoon came to South after helping Liberty to its best season in school history last year after going 10-1 and finishing in the top 20 in boththe final Associated Press and coaches’ polls. As defensive coordinator the previous two years at Hawai’i he helped the Rainbow Warriors to a berth in the Mountain West Conference championship game his second season and back-to-back postseason bowl appearances, , while he served as co-defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic in 2017 where his efforts helped the Owlsfinish 11-3 following wins in the Conference USA championship game and the Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl in engineering one of the biggest improvements in the country. Ole Miss participated in a bowl game in four of his five years on the team’s defensive staff, and he also helped Arkansas State to its first-ever 10-win season during the 2011 campaign.
Team Record and Standings
5-5 overall, 2-5 in Sun Belt Conference – Most wins since 2016
Team/Unit Stats
– Rush Defense – 119 ypg – 1st SBC, 23rd NCAA- Pass Defense – 201.4 ypg – 3rd SBC, 31st NCAA- Pass Efficiency Defense – 116.50 rating – 1st SBC, 17th NCAA- Total Defense – 320.4 ypg – 1st SBC, 17th NCAA- 3rd-Down Defense – 31.7% – 1st SBC, 13th NCAA- Red Zone Defense – 70.6% – 1st SBC, 12th NCAA
Individual Player Stats
– Darrell Luter Jr. is 1st in Sun Belt in passes defensed per game and 2nd in interceptions per game, ranking in top 5 nationally in both- Tre Young and Devin Rockette also are among top 5 in SBC in total interceptions- 5 different players have recorded 40 or more tackles this season while 14 individuals have been credited with 20-plus stops
