MaxPreps 2013 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 3 Norcross

Following an undefeated, AAAAAA state title-winning season, expectations are high for the Norcross (Ga.) Blue Devils.

The team's strength is its defense, which returns 10 starters, including Lorenzo Carter, the nation's No. 3 recruit according to 247Sports.

Carter was dominant as a junior, recording 136 total tackles, 18 sacks and nine quarterback hurries against some of the top offensive lines in the state. He's one of the premier players in the country regardless of position and having him back in 2013 is priceless for Norcross.

Kevin Mouhon, another top-notch recruit, leads a group of three returning linebackers.



Norcross has a luxury on offense that is very rare in high school football: its entire offensive line from a year ago is returning.

Ryan Northrup, Caleb Crum and the rest of the big boys up front should help set the tone offensively.

With Alvin Kamara now at Alabama, Myles Autry is expected to be the star of the team's offense. Last season, he totaled more than 1,100 yards and 16 touchdowns at running back and receiver. Expect those numbers to potentially double.

Autry's health, however, could limit those projections. He had surgery in the offseason to repair a torn ACL/MCL. He's critical to the success of the Norcross offense, but he hasn't practiced in more than five months.

See the entire Preseason Xcellent 25

Barker Griffin, who attempted only one pass last year as a sophomore, will compete with transfer A.j. Bush for the starting job. Whoever lines up behind center will need to manage the game for Norcross, but will also need to make big plays down the stretch if Norcross is to repeat as state champs.

Local look: "Gwinnett County has produced some talented teams over the years from Parkview in the early 2000s to Buford's championship teams and mostly recently Grasyon. This year's Norcross team is right up there with them. They are the defending state champions and have nearly all of their starters coming back. It doesn't hurt that a few of those players like Lorenzo Carter, Myles Autry and Kevin Mouhon are three of the best in the country. We'll get a pretty good idea of how good Norcross will be this season when it opens against Florida's Booker T. Washington."
- Brandon Brigman, Gwinnett Daily Post
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Size: Class AAAAAA


Enrollment: 3,365




2012 finish: 15-0, Class AAAAAA state champion


Head coach: Keith Maloof


Career record: 130-59


Years at school: 14


Notable players coached:
LB Larry Grant (Ohio State, NFL)

LB Adrian Hubbard (Alabama)



RB Alvin Kamara (Alabama)
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No. of returning starters: 7 (offense), 10 (defense)

Key losses:

RB Alvin Kamara

QB Joseph Wilber

DB Shon Akins

Key returners:



ATH Myles Autry

DL Lorenzo Carter

LB Kevin Mouhon

OL Ryan Northrup

OL Horatio Walker

Key newcomers:

QB A.J. Bush (transfer)



DL/TE Chris Herndon

QB Barker Griffin
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Toughest game: Like Grayson a year before, Norcross will represent Georgia in a marquee game against a Miami opponent. It hosts the nation's No. 9-ranked team, Booker T. Washington, on Aug. 24.

Question mark: Will Myles Autry come back 100 percent healthy and will the team find a quarterback it can trust?

Local outlook: Norcross is the clear favorite in Class AAAAAA, but Sandy Creek, only a AAAA school, could lay claim to being the state's top team. North Gwinnett, Colquitt County, Camden County and Lovejoy will also be strong in AAAAAA.

Overall outlook: It's extremely difficult to win a state title in Georgia's largest classification two years in a row. However, it's not impossible. Norcross is going to wear teams down this season with a physical defense and a grinding offense. It will need playmakers on offense to get past some of the state's heavyweights. If a quarterback emerges and Autry is the Autry of old, Norcross very well may repeat.
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