The Road to Repeat will feature 2016 high school football state champions as they attempt to defend their title and repeat as state champions—an effort that requires program-wide collaboration, hard work and development.

Team: Hoover (Ala.)

2016 finish: 12-2; Alabama Class 7A state champion

Head coach: Josh Niblett (@JoshNiblett)

School/Team Twitter: @BucsFootball

Key departures:

QB Garrett Farquhar

LB Kholbe Coleman (Bowling Green)

RB C.J. Sturdivant (Tulane)

DL Christian Taylor (North Alabama)

Key returners:

WR Shedrick Jackson

K Barrett Pickering

DL Khamari Brown

Spotlight matchup: @ Grayson (Ga.), Aug. 25

Season outlook

Hoover finished in a spot that the storied program has become accustomed to: atop the Alabama high school football landscape.

Head coach Josh Niblett’s squad ended McGill-Toolen’s 22-game winning streak by notching a 17-7 victory in the Class 7A state finals, giving Hoover its 12^th state title.

Hoover will almost certainly be the preseason favorite in Alabama’s Class 7A this fall, given its remarkable track record of consistency.

However, the road to state title No. 13 won’t be an easy one.

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Most of the team’s key playmakers on both sides of the ball have graduated. Further, while returning receiver Shedrick Jackson, the nephew of Bo Jackson, has several SEC offers, the team does not appear to have the same level of talented upperclassmen  to which it’s grown accustomed.

Niblett will need to find a replacement for Garrett Farquhar, last year’s starting quarterback who will continue his athletic career by playing baseball in college. He has a range of options to choose from, including his son, Shaw. But the most intriguing candidate could be Robby Ashford, a 6-foot-3 rising sophomore who already has a scholarship offer from Mizzou without ever having thrown a pass on the varsity level.

Khamari Brown figures to be a leader on the defense. The senior defensive tackle could emerge as a Division I recruit. He’ll be joined by cornerback Chase Brown and linebacker Eli West in providing some senior leadership to what could be a young unit.

The team returns a key special teams weapon in Barrett Pickering, who handles both punting and kicking duties, and successfully booted a 49-yard field goal a year ago. He rates as one of the top kickers in the country.

Still, Hoover may experience some growing pains, especially as it opens up against Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) on Aug. 25, one of the two teams Hoover lost to a year ago. The team’s regular second schedule is bookended by Florida juggernaut IMG Academy.

Perhaps more than ever, the summer will be critical to shaping the outlook for Hoover. It will once again participate in the USA Football 7on7, in conjunction with the ALFCA regional championships. There, the team’s quarterback play figures to develop, and it can identify additional offensive playmakers to support Jackson.

If nothing else, Hoover fans can trust in Niblett’s plan, which is a 365-day strategy.

“Nothing at Hoover happens by accident. He has every second of every day planned out from January to December,” said one former assistant coach. “Not just anybody could do what he’s done at Hoover. He’s built on and exceeded what was done in the past. He is the most organized human being I’ve ever been around.”

More than likely, that plan will have Hoover back in the running for a second consecutive state title.