Baylor

Head coach: Erik Kimrey (first year here; 194-20 overall)

Returning starters: 5 offensive; 5 defensive

Last year’s record: 7-5 overall, lost in Division II-AAA second round

Key players: Brycen Sanders (6-6, 280) Sr. OL, Caleb Hampton (5-10, 205) Sr. RB, Amari Jefferson (6-1, 200) Jr. WR, Dalton Restelli (6-4, 235) Sr. TE, Tony Boggs (6-4, 275) Sr. DL, Evan Haynie (5-11, 185) Sr. DB, John Emendorfer (5-11, 195) Sr. LB

Season outlook: Kimrey comes to Baylor after a remarkable 17-season run in which he led Hammond School (Columbia, South Carolina) to 12 state titles, including a state-record six straight. Last year, he was a University of South Carolina assistant.

Since being hired, he named former Red Bank head coach Chris Brown as defensive coordinator and has spent hours watching video of DII-AAA opponents to familiarize himself with the state’s toughest classification.

Baylor has seven players who have made college commitments or received scholarship offers, and Kimrey believes four to five others could join that group this year. Sanders, who recently committed to Ole Miss, is the offensive line’s anchor at center, while

Duke-committed Boggs is part of a defensive line that should be Baylor’s strength on that side of the ball.

“This was already a healthy program when I got here,” Kimrey said. “To get where we want to be, there are no shortcuts. We want to build a program that’s going to remain at the highest level each season.”

The list of talented skill position players begins with Hampton, who has a blend of physicality and speed to handle most of the carries. The receivers are all 6-1 or taller, led by Jefferson, who has offers from Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia Tech.

One of two juniors will take over at quarterback: Whit Muschamp (6-2, 180) — the son of Georgia assistant Will Muschamp — or Canadian transfer Hugues Picard (5-11, 205).

Muschamp played for Kimrey as a freshman at Hammond, taking over as the starter late in the season and helping the team to seven straight wins and a state title.

“We’ll let the quarterback competition settle itself on the field,” Kimrey said. “The good news is we have confidence in both of those kids. There’s reason to be excited about the potential for this group.”