Prep football: Oxford has high expectations, and that's how Adams wants it

Aug. 16—Editor's note: The Anniston Star will publish high school football team preview stories every day, allowing everyone to see what each local coach says about his squad this season. All will be free, so parents and players can read their story.

OXFORD — When Oxford's baseball team took home a state championship a few short months ago, football coach Sam Adams could see how much excitement Oxford athletics can bring to the city.

"Whatever goes on at the high school here in Oxford is the biggest deal in town year-round," Adams said. "The expectations for every academic class, every extracurricular program are extremely high and that's the way that it should be everywhere. That really helps our kids to thrive, to see the success that our baseball program just had, which was the last athletic season before this one."

When looking at the offensive firepower the Yellow Jackets have this season, it's safe to say Adams and company will bring an exciting year of football to Calhoun County.

The offense will be led by one of the top quarterbacks in the state in junior Mason Mims, who has picked up offers from schools including Mississippi State, Pitt and West Virginia.

Adams said that on top of Mims' high football IQ, he has been improving his strength and speed throughout the offseason, with Mims training at 5:30 a.m. with Oxford's track and field staff and putting on about 20 pounds after training in the weight room.

"What makes him elite is he really understands pre-snap looks," said Adams, whose team went 5-6 last year. "Sometimes you just have a bad call, sometimes the defense has a call to beat yours, and he definitely understands. He doesn't always know what play we want to get to in his head without me coaching through that part, but he knows that we need to do something over here to fix the problem that we have, and that's a great luxury."

In addition to a wide receiver tandem of Nick Richardson and Judd Syer and tight ends Jayden Lewis and Nick Hampton that will lead the skill positions, Mims will have a new, exciting weapon to throw to this season.

Camare Hampton, who transferred from Lincoln, has already made a huge impact for the Yellow Jackets in the team's offseason workouts and 7-on-7 tournaments. During UAB's 7-on-7 camp, Hampton impressed coaches enough to earn an offer from UAB's staff that day.

Adams said that in addition to his football knowledge increasing, he's been working heavily in the weight room since joining the team.

"He's a long guy, probably 6-foot-2 and in the 180-ish range," Adams said. "He came in March, April, and he's put on 10 pounds."

Senior Jaydon Thomas, who missed a majority of last season with a broken ankle, made a full recovery and will help lead the backfield this season for the Yellow Jackets. Thomas received a Division I offer from Stetson in May.

"He's kind of an under the radar sort of guy," Adams said. "He broke his ankle last year in the fourth game of the season, and that cut his season short. He's got good vision, good power, he protects the passer well, he has good hands. He's really a good, well-rounded back that can play virtually every snap of the game."

Adams said that while each player has a different style of play, all of Oxford's skill players have developed enough versatility to play multiple positions. He said even some, like Syer, are versatile enough to play some on both sides of the ball.

"Each one of those guys brings something vastly different to the table," Adams said. "We try to mix and match them in the formation so they're playing inside and outside and right and left and all that."

He said that one immediate positive he's noticed about the team is the competition between the offense and defense.

"One thing that's stood out is how much back and forth there's been over 'defense wins today,' 'offense wins the next day,' and as a head coach, that's kind of the way that you want it," Adams said. "You don't want one side on top consistently, that means the other side's probably got some big problems. Now, that does mean there's been a little bit of inconsistency on both sides, too, but what sticks out to me is one side does kind of get maybe beat down a little bit one day. They've responded well, and they haven't allowed that to happen two days in a row."

The defense will feature a share of key returners playing familiar positions. Kennan Britt, Caleb Tinner and Donovan Jones will be key on the defensive line and Hudson Gilman, Des Whitson and James Tapley will be names to know at linebacker.

The shakeup of the defensive backs will feature Cedric Twyman shifting from playing primarily cornerback last season to seeing more snaps at safety. Cornerback Cristian Gibson is expected to be one of the leaders on the defense alongside Latreveon Figgers, who had a solid summer in 7-on-7 camps for Oxford.

"He's got good ball skills as far as getting the ball out," Adams said. "Sometimes the taller guy that may get their hands on the ball up high is good at punching it out as they're coming back down. He's a guy we have a whole lot of confidence in back there."

Sports Writer Thomas Ashworth: 256-236-1551. On Twitter: @ThomasAshworth0.