Doss High School, Louisville KY -

Doss head coach Phil Hawkins can't hide his excitement when he talks about his 2017 football squad and for good reason.

In February he told me, "Wait til you meet the collection of kids I have on this team. 2017 will be the first year coaching a team with all my own kids and 26 of them are seniors, I haven't had more than eight since I got here."

I finally made it out to Doss to interview coach Hawkins and a select few of his players last week. We waited in the gym as the second to last period of the day was about to conclude, and when the bell rung and his players began trickling in for the interview I saw first hand why Hawkins is so pumped for the upcoming season. A who's who of top Kentucky division one prospects materialized in that gym right in front of me, Terez Traynor, Charles Allen, Shawnkell Knight-Goff, Ricky Barber all have at least one power-five offer and Knight-Goff has three (Louisville, Kentucky, and Purdue). They definitely have the horses to make a long run in the playoffs.

Doss finished 6-6 last year before exiting the playoffs in the second round at the hands of Covington Catholic. This year Coach Hawkins said his goal is nothing less than a state championship considering the talent on his team as well as the amount of senior leadership. He went in depth before the interview began on which players will make an impact and the capacity in which they will do so.

Of all the units on his team, Hawkins spoke of his receiving core in the highest regard, calling Terez Traynor a nightmare in space and commands constant double teams. With the coverage rolled to Traynor's side, this allows 2018 WR Jonathen Adams to flourish underneath. Hawkins called Adams a chain mover and the "best pure receiver on the team." Another weapon in the arsenal Hawkins mentions was 2018 WR Tyreke Chamblee who transferred from Madison Central last year. The head coach noted that Chamblee's size and speed is deployed to stretch defenses vertically. Jaren Boyd is a 6-foot-4 WR Hawkins is high on but he was out sick when I came. "I don't get too complicated with the offense. I have playmakers all over the place so I just get them the ball in space and let them do the rest," said Hawkins.

Perhaps the player Hawkins was most bullish about was 2020 RB Dalion Young. His coach called Young the best running back in the Louisville Metro and expects a huge season from the 5-foot-7, 190-pound rising sophomore in 2017.

The offensive line is also expected to be one of Doss's best units in 2017 with Mitch Burba, Charles Allen, and Ricky Barber anchoring the unit. Burba holds a division one offer from Morehead State and coach Hawkins described his tackle as "always solid, you can depend on him to do his job every time." At the end of the line is 2018 TE Michael Weaver who stands at 6-foot-4, 220-pounds. Weaver is a converted basketball player. Last season Hawkins said he tested him in practice on short routes where linebackers were able to test his desire to play the game up close and personal and Weaver passed that test with flying colors. This year Hawkins expects Weaver to have a breakout campaign and generate interest from D1 coaches.

The Doss offense was run by Deon Pumphrey who coach Hawkins praises for his knowledge of the system and ability to manage the game and make good decisions. Pumprey will be pushed for the position this year however as talented 2020 ATH/QB Rae Von Vaden is transferring from Moore. Hawkins said the QB spot isn't a given for Von Vaden who will have to win it from a talented senior who is already familiar with the system. Hawkins said no matter what happens there, the talented Moore transfer will still touch the ball in his offense a lot in 2017.

On defense, Shawnkell Knight-Goff and Ricky Barber will anchor the front line and Charles Allen is expected to get some iron-man work down in the defensive trenches as well. Another transfer who figures to play a prominent role this season is DB back Demetrius Porter who transferred from Iroquois. Hawkins is also kicking around the idea of using Traynor at cornerback this season. The 2018 3-star WR just returned from a 7on7 tournament in Birmingham, Alabama where he snatched five picks in six games and he seems very open to playing both sides of the ball this season.

Expectations have never been higher for Doss and with all the talent on its roster, it is easy to see why. Hawkins calls the upcoming season the toughest task he has ever faced due to the expectations of winning a title as well as getting each of his talented prospects to maximize their potential. Hawkins may have a tough task ahead of him but he certainly isn't complaining.