Southern's Graves Emerges As COY Candidate While Jaguars Hunt For SWAC West Title
Just as the big cat prowls and pounces on its prey in the jungles of South and Central America, the stealthy Jaguars are quietly on the verge of claiming the SWAC West.
In his first season, Southern's head coach, Terrence Graves, has done an outstanding job surpassing the predicted 4th-place finish for 2024 in the division.
Suppose the Jaguars win Saturday's game against Bethune-Cookman. In that case, they must have Texas Southern defeat Alcorn State and Alabama A&M beat UAPB for the rookie head coach's team to reach the conference championship.
Southern currently leads the SWAC West division with a record of 4-1, while Alcorn State is in second place at 3-2. Texas Southern is tied with Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Prairie View A&M, each having a record of 2-3. Grambling State is at the bottom of the division with a record of 1-4.
Graves and his staff have had an impressive coaching performance with changes at quarterback, injuries to key players, and rallying to win overtime games in Texas versus TSU and PV.
The stakes remain high as they host a dangerous Wildcats team eager to spoil the Jaguars' plans of claiming the division trophy.
Regardless of this weekend's outcome for Southern, Terrance Graves is definitively in the conversation for the 2024 SWAC Coach of the Year honor.
It is an excellent testimony for the former veteran assistant that athletic directors passed on extending the head coach title in previous years.
He's garnered the respect in year one, but the job is far from over. Can Graves and the Jags shock the world in 2024?
We shall see.