Team: Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)

2016 finish: 14-1; Georgia AAAAAAA state champion

Head coach: Christian Hunnicutt (@cutt484)

Team Twitter: @graysonramsF

Key departures:

RB Kurt Taylor (Michigan)

QB Chase Brice (Clemson)

DB DeAgenlo Gibbs (Georgia)

Key returners:

LB Owen Pappoe

DL Tru Thompson

OL Wanya Morris

Spotlight matchup: vs. Hoover (Ala.), Aug. 25

Season outlook

Grayson faces a somewhat unusual position of breaking in a new head coach following a state title-winning season.

Jeff Herron took the job late last spring, inheriting a talented roster for a program that had never won a state title. There were some growing pains as he settled into the role; he took the team to the USA Football 7on7 Georgia state championship and struggled to advance in a deep field.

However, the experience paid off in a big way, as Grayson gelled beautifully en route to a 14-1 season and the program’s first state title.

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With Herron leaving to take a coaching job in South Carolina, Grayson now turns to Christian Hunnicutt to steer the ship.

Hunnicutt, who was an assistant coach at Grayson in 2015, will attempt to build on the pre-existing foundation already in place at the Gwinnett County powerhouse.

“I don’t foresee any staff changes or overhauls, anything like that,” Hunnicutt said. “They lost two games in two years, so with something like that, clearly there’s an outstanding coaching staff in place. They’re men that care about kids, men that coach hard, teach hard in the classroom, men of character.”

Though the team lost multiple Division I-caliber athletes to graduation, it returns one of the most talented rosters in the state.

Linebacker Owen Pappoe, a youth football sensation who has blossomed into an elite high school linebacker, returns to lead the defense. As a sophomore in the fall, he made 82 tackles and recorded five sacks, helping him earn All-State honorable mention.

Joining Pappoe is a loaded secondary that features Ronald Thompkins and Kenyatta Watson, both rising juniors who have multiple high-level Division I scholarship offers.

Grayson is well-stocked in the trenches as well. Florida State commit Tru Thompson will look to build on a solid sophomore campaign while Wanya Morris, a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle, will continue to blossom on the offensive line.

Given that its talent is concentrated in rising juniors, Grayson’s season could hinge on the development and maturation of the team’s young stars, who, despite their immense ability, will still need to compensate for the significant production loss resulting from the graduation of multiple key players on last year’s championship team.

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The team’s schedule is daunting, with games against Hoover (Ala.) and John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) presenting especially stiff challenges early on.

Grayson may experience some early-season struggles, but if it develops as it did in 2016, it will be one of the top teams in the Atlanta area and could find itself back in the Georgia Dome in December with a shot at a second consecutive state title.