Don't be surprised if the perennial Alabama power adds a 14th state title this season.
Video: Early Contenders presented by Shock Doctor We set the tone for 2018 by looking at high school football's elite.
Head coach: Josh Niblett
Last season: 11-3, beat McGill-Toolen 48-20 to win the 7A Alabama state championship.
Last decade: 133-18
Famous alumni/players: Jeff Brantley, former MLB pitcher and current analyst; Taylor Hicks, 2006 American Idol winner; Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens cornerback; Steve Lowery, four-time PGA winner.
Star power (According to 247Sports): 5-star recruits — 0; 4-star recruits — 2; 3-star recruits — 4
Head coach Josh Niblett
File photo by Randy Sartin
—
The 2019 Auburn commit is one of the most talented players in high school football.
QB Robby Ashford (6-3, 200, Jr.) —
Expect a big season for the 4-star quarterback who gets the keys to the offense in 2018.
RB Larry McCammon (5-10, 200, Sr.) —
One of the most underrated running backs in the country, he rushed for 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. Expect those numbers and more in his senior campaign.
LB Nick Curtis (6-5, 205, Sr.) — Year in, year out Hoover has one of the best defenses in the nation and Curtis will be the leader of that side of the ball.
CB Jabari Moore (6-0, 180, Sr.) —
The talented defensive back should see some Power 5 offers come his way in 2018.
Running back Larry McCammon
File photo by James Nicholas
Aug. 25 —
vs. Pinson Valley (Pinson)
Aug. 31 — vs. No. 6 St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Sept. 7 — vs. Thompson (Alabaster)
Sept. 14 — at Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville)
Nov. 2 — vs. No. 3 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
STORYLINES
• Niblett has done nothing but win since replacing Rush Propst as the head coach before the 2008 season. Hoover is 133-18 under Niblett and has won six state titles (2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017). He became the first coach in Alabama history to win seven state titles as a head coach, he won his first one while coaching at Oneonta.
• Hoover enters 2018 loaded with the likes of Pickens and a full year of Ashford. Niblett said McCammon, a 3-star back who could be the most underrated talent in high school, is the best back he has ever coached.
• Defense and a strong running game have always been big-time factors for Hoover. Add in a stud quarterback along with one of the top wide receivers in the country, and the Alabama power could have a great chance to win the school's seventh state championship since 2009.
