While starters are returning all over the field for the Daphne Trojans, the tone will be set in the trenches and that’s just the way head coach Kenny King, a Daphne alum who played defensive line at Alabama and in the NFL, wants it.

With familiar faces in defensive backs Jayden Lee and EJ Williams, as well as linebacker Andre Houston, the defense will have eight starters returning with highlighted guys up front including defensive linemen Talib Graham and Marquaes Lambert.

“Dino is one of the best players on our team, me playing D-Line I look at him being a product of me,” King said of Lambert at Gulf Coast Media Day. “He’s very physical, he’s very explosive so I’m excited to see him work. I know he’s going to be a top defensive lineman in the state and also in the country.”

Lambert himself understands the gravity that comes with being coached by King and his staff.

“You’re learning from the best of the best, there’s a lot of experience in the room from everybody,” Lambert. “We’re just working as a team and as a unit working hard and being consistent.”

Offensively, the Trojans will turn to sophomore JJ Thibodeaux to lead the offense at quarterback with returning weapons out wide including RJ Dailey, Scoot Myles and Kobe Donnelley. King will look to players like Jacob Luna, Kevin Brown and Jai’Vale Fredericks to get the job done on the offensive line.

“Luna is scrappy, everybody says he might be an undersized offensive lineman but he gets after it he takes it to the limit,” King said. “A hard worker but I like to see that dog and that nastiness in him finishing plays and getting after guys.”

The athletes agreed this senior group is ready for more success after going to the playoffs last year for the first time since 2021.

“Everybody wants to get after it,” Lambert said. “Everybody has a goal in mind, I feel like we’re very motivated this year.”

“We’re ready to work and still have a good time doing it,” Luna said.

Those are just part of the senior-laden group that King and the staff will lean on in 2024.

“This senior group has been with us for a while now, these guys played at a young age so I know this senior group is going to lead this team to success,” King said. “They know what to do, they know how to do it and they know when to do it so it’s a testament to our coaches and our staff here at Daphne.”

While he does want his team to compete, King also wants to make sure the student-athletes enjoy their time playing the game they love at the high school level.

“Just go in and compete week in and week out, and have fun doing it. This game is about having fun and enjoying yourself,” King said. “We all played it at a young age and it was fun, we did it because it was fun and as you get older it goes deeper and it becomes more of a business and a job but you have to keep that fun in it.”

And from what he’s heard around town, the Daphne community is excited to see what product is put on the new turf field this season.

“A lot of new buildings and things going on at Daphne, things that we’ve been hoping to get since I’ve been here and now going on my ninth year here we’re starting to see some things unfold so the community is excited about having a heavy senior class and a lot of returning starters,” King said. “The community is excited in Daphne to see what we can do, I talk to these guys always about competing and doing it for your city and doing it for your town and making sure you have pride for the Daphne Trojans.”

“I’m ready to play on that new turf,” Luna confirmed.

Check out the Trojans' full interview as part of the third-annual Gulf Coast Media Day here.