No. 7 Karr (New Orleans) - Team preview / Preseason photo gallery
Strengths: The first name that comes up when talking Edna Karr is
Devante "Speedy" Noil. Perhaps the his biggest strength, his speed, has him ranked as the nation's No. 18 recruit according to 247Sports. He is simply breathtaking with the ball in his hands. He'll likely line up behind center, so that Karr can get him involved in every snap. Another blue-chip recruit,
Gerald Willis, lines up on the defensive line, which is another strong suit for Karr.
Joyan Williams did a great job there as a junior. Linebackers
Donnie Alexander,
Quanta Moore and
Jaevon Walton, who returned to New Orleans after playing last season in Alabama, will combine to make Karr's front seven extremely difficult to penetrate.
Question marks: For as exciting as Noil is, he can't run the offense by himself. Head coach Nathaniel Jones is looking for a running back (or two) to emerge this summer as a reliable threat to prevent teams from keying on Noil. Another cause for concern is a broken hand suffered by Willis this spring. It doesn't appear to be a major issue, but if he loses any time it will be a big blow. Jones thinks he's talented enough to play anywhere on the line and even stand up at middle linebacker if needed. The secondary is by far the most inexperienced unit on the team and will bear watching.
Outlook: Jones is in his first season, taking over for Jabbar Juluke. A Karr graduate, he's saying all the right things and seems to have enjoyed a pretty smooth transition. With a season opener against St. Augustine followed by a game against John Curtis, he'll have to learn on the job. The buzz around Louisiana is that this is the top team in the state. It will have the opportunity early on to prove as much.
