Spend enough time around the Spanish Fort football program and the word ‘brotherhood’ will become ingrained in your head.

That simple term inspires everything the Toros do, and they’re hoping that the program’s culture can propel a young roster to a memorable season this fall.

“For our last year, we really just want to come out here, have fun and play ball,” senior quarterback Jaylyn Thibodeaux said. “There’s never another experience of Friday Night Lights in your life, so we just want to give it our best effort and support the brotherhood.”

With less than 10 seniors on the Spanish Fort roster, Thibodeaux, defensive lineman Brandon Marinho and their peers will be counted upon to act as leaders for this group. To little surprise, the D-line and quarterback rooms are tabbed as the team’s strengths entering this season.

But while the program is amidst a youth movement, there is plenty of potential waiting in the wings.

Marinho pointed at junior defensive back Noah Stone and sophomore linebacker Terry “TJ” Causey as players who are primed for breakout campaigns. The former is a two-sport star (baseball) while the latter stands at an imposing 6-foot-2.

And on the offensive side, Thibodeaux praised plenty of up-and-coming athletes.

The veteran signal-caller has quality options out wide, headlined by 6-foot-2 sophomore target Robert Farmer and junior Devin McKenzie. Farmer will also line up at safety for the Toros.

Joining Thibodeaux in the backfield will be sophomore tailback Ford Turner, while junior Ya’Lin Lee is a do-it-all junior who transferred from Saraland and figures to play both ways.

Fifth-year head coach Chase Smith is hoping all of those pieces can come together and produce a bounce-back campaign for his program. After all, the 2025 season saw Spanish Fort finish with a losing record for the first time since 2007, which was just its second season of competing in football.

Thus, this offseason centered around creating a stronger culture and honing in on the small parts of the game that can pay larger dividends and return the team to its former glory.

“It was mainly just about getting back to the details, the little things,” Thibodeaux said. “We really harped on coming together more as a team and a brotherhood.”

And that brotherhood was on full display when the team rallied around Smith in recent weeks. The veteran coach was abruptly hospitalized with blood clots in his arms during fall camp and missed a handful of days before returning to lead the program.

Thus, the Toros have plenty to play for in 2026, and they hope that fans will be able to visibly witness their improved culture throughout the season.

“I want people to watch us and see that we’re always locked in,” Thibodeaux said. “We have a physical team and a lot of leadership.”

Spanish Fort opens its campaign by hosting rivals Daphne at 7 p.m. Thursday night.

The Toros will also battle Foley (road), Elberta (road), Baldwin County (home) and Gulf Shores (home) from the local area.

And for live sports coverage throughout the fall and beyond, be sure to follow @GCMSportsAL on Twitter/X.