JACKSONVILLE—Jax State football is four practices into the 2024 season and the coaching staff has seen some small improvements through the week.
 
"I hope every day we make some marginal improvements," said coach Rich Rodriguez. "The stuff that we are yelling at to correct today, we can't have to do that again tomorrow or the next week. The whole key the first two weeks is there's going to be things to correct but if you're going over the same thing over and over again, you're not making progress."
 
While some mistakes are to be expected the first week of camp, one thing that has not been questioned is the passion for the game by the group that has taken the field this week.
 
"The thing I like about our players is I think they love football," said Rodriguez who emphasized that attribute is something that is addressed during the recruiting process. "We don't want guys that like football, we want guys that love it and need it."
 
The defense had a solid day coming up with numerous big plays, especially in the secondary.
 
"It's a very athletic group and a very deep group," said Rodriguez of the defensive backs. "I think when you have depth it creates better competition."
 
Senior linebacker Laletia Hale is a key component to the Jax State defense, having made 60 tackles a year ago with 5.5 for loss. He also forced a fumble and was credited with three quarterback hurries.
 
"I try to lead by example and talk to people one-on-one and help them take coaching and keep everybody up," said Hale of his leadership role on defense where the Gamecocks return four starters from a year ago.
 
"I like the fact that a lot of our linebackers can play multiple positions," said Hale of his position group. "We have good chemistry with the guys that came in and we have a real good group."