A lot has changed for Jackson State football coach TC Taylor. With experience in his first season as a head coach, he has a better idea of what to expect.
This includes what to expect from the Blue & White's spring game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday at 3 p.m. The 2023 match was filled with chaos. The weather was truly miserable with drizzling rain, the attendance was small and it was clear that the team was full of new players and coaches learning their roles.
That's not the case this season. Taylor was able to hire as needed and didn't have to replace nearly the entire 60 players and coaching staff.
Here are three things to watch for the spring game:
Who is directing the plays to Jackson State football's offense?
It will be interesting to see how Taylor and the offensive coaches operate in game-like situations.
2023 co-coordinators Maurice Harris and Jason Onyebuagu took the jobs at Auburn and South Alabama, respectively. According to the Jackson State football website, there are no coaches listed as offensive coordinators on the 2024 staff. The Tigers also lost quarterbacks coach Quinn Billerman to Austin Peay.
In 2023, Jackson State led the Southwestern Athletic Conference offensive line with 389.4 yards per game and ranked fourth in the SWAC with 27.3 points per game. The spring game could indicate whether they are likely to move forward or regress offensively in 2024.
Taylor could be able to call plays in the spring game. He has no experience in this role. He served as Jackson State's offensive coordinator in 2021, a role he also held at North Carolina Central (2014-2018).
However, Taylor has never served as offensive coordinator and head coach at the same time. This will give Taylor an opportunity to see if he can be both CEO coach and game manager at the same time.
How much has quarterback Jacobean Morgan improved?
Make no mistake, the Tigers will go as fast and far as quarterback Jacobean Morgan will take them. He played in a red zone package last season, but started the final four games. Taylor had tied his coaching future to Morgan, especially when former Texas Southern quarterback Andrew Boddy, now at Alabama State, was in the transfer portal this offseason.
Morgan, a transfer from Syracuse, showed flashes of brilliance in 2023. Morgan completed 83 of 123 passes for 10 touchdowns and ran for six more. He also committed eight fumbles in his first three games. .
Morgan's progress in the spring game should go a long way in determining the Tigers' trajectory ahead of preseason practice.
Jackson State defensive line performance
As important as Morgan's play will be this fall, Jackson State will need its defensive line to regain the dominance it showed in 2022 if it is to have a shot at a SWAC title. That's the standard. They shut down opposing offenses, allowing just 13.5 points and 252.5 yards per game.
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The defense was good last season, but it wasn't dominant. JSU gave up 23.9 points and 335.8 yards per game, but led the SWAC with 17 interceptions.
How the defensive line plays will determine the Tigers' season, and that starts with the spring game. Keep an eye on returning players Tyus Martin and True Thompson, who each had three sacks last season, and whether their play shows they can take on bigger roles in 2024.
