MaxPreps 2012 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 24 Hoover

Hoover (Ala.) came up just short in last year’s Class 6A state final but appears poised to get over the hump in 2012.

After losing to talent-laden Prattville 35-34 in last year’s final, Hoover returns key pieces on both sides of the ball that should help power the Bucs back to the finals. And that's a spot Hoover, the No. 7 national football dynasty, is accustomed to being in.

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Head coach Josh Niblett will rely on quarterback Connor Short to guide the team’s offense. Short took over midway through the season when Sam Gillikin got hurt and tossed for 2,000 yards in seven games.



Kyler Jackson, who scored a touchdown against Prattville, should help fill the void left by Dakota Daniel. Sophomore Braderick Shaw, also a member of the school’s track and field team, is one of the sophomores that could factor into the team’s success this fall. Michael Burroughs looked good in the team’s spring game.

A burner at wide receiver, Alfonzo Steele should be Short’s top target. Justin Johnson and Alex Elam, two talented sophomores, should help fill in other holes. Elam was the team’s fastest-timed player this spring.

Hoover’s offensive line needs to be rebuilt. With nearly 250 players from grades 9-12 working out with the team this spring, there should be plenty of big bodies to choose from.

Defensively, Niblett is focused on finding defensive tackles that can fill gaps on the interior line. Jamal Lucas and Landry Tullo will anchor a strong group of linebackers that will be one of the team’s strengths.

The secondary, however, will be where this year’s Hoover squad really excels. Safety Devon Earl is primed for a strong senior year, while junior cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who is drawing favorable comparisons to Champ Bailey and Dre Kirkpatrick at the same age, is as good a corner on the high school level as there is.

Local outlook: “The big picture is Hoover is set up for a four-year run that will rival any in its dynasty. They've made the state finals every year since 2000. How? Resources are a big thing. So is the fact Rush Propst turned a sleeping giant (roughly two times larger than most schools in Alabama 6A) into a juggernaut 12 years ago.”
- Jeff Sentell, Birmingham News



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Size: Class 6A


Enrollment: 1,902 (Grades 10-12)


2011 finish: 13-2, Class 6A finalist


Head coach: Josh Niblett


Career record: 119-38


Years at school: 4




Notable players coached:
WR Jaylon Denson (Auburn)
LB John Propst (Tennessee)
WR Maudrecus Humphrey (Arkansas)

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No. of returning starters: 3 (offense), 5 (defense)

Key losses:
WR Caleb Sims

RB Dakota Daniel

OL Daniel Aust

DL Trent Dunne

Key returners:
LB Jamal Lucas



QB Connor Short

CB Marlon Humphrey

S Devon Earl

Key newcomers:
WR Alex Elam

RB Braderick Shaw

WR Justin Johnson



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Toughest game: South Panola. The Bucs will get tested early by a much-improved South Panola squad that was very young last season. Hoover’s young receivers will need to step up and provide a vertical threat that seemed to be missing when the teams met last fall.

Question mark: How good will the offensive line be? It’s frightening for a team to go into the season with so many new bodies up front, even for a program with the resources and depth that Hoover possesses.

Local look: Last year’s state champion Prattville should be a bit down in 2012, after graduating numerous Division I players and losing head coach Jamey Dubose. Clay-Chalkville, which returns a dozen starters, will also be very strong. Always talented, Oxford has the potential to make a state title run as well.

Overall outlook: This team will likely be even stronger in 2013, but the 2012 Hoover team will be very, very good. It’s the early favorite to capture the Class 6A state title, but it will have stiff competition. While there’s a bounty of young talent on the roster, it is the team’s seniors - Short, Lucas, Tullo, Earl - that will need to carry the Bucs when the team faces adversity.

Coach quote: “We’ve had a good offseason. People talk about ‘What about the running back? What about this?’ I don’t worry about that as much as developing leaders. If the running back is a leader, he’ll be a good running back.”
- Head coach Josh Niblett

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