“Accountability over ability.”

Those were the words Daphne defensive coordinator Todd Evans used to describe the focus of his unit heading into the 2026 campaign.

“We’ve been putting a lot of stress on that mantra,” Evans said. “We’re looking at the things you can’t measure because if we focus on the little things, then the big things will take care of themselves.”

And the Trojans are hoping to accomplish some pretty big things this year.

With a host of starters returning from a nine-win team and a head coach in Kenny King who is entering his 11th season at the helm, the time is now for Daphne to make a championship push.

To do so, Evans and company know that they have to exhibit a week-to-week consistency that is difficult to maintain.

“I don’t want us playing to a scoreboard,” Evans said. “I want us playing to a standard.”

Evans’ defense will be playing to a high standard this fall, as he believes that he has stars at all three levels.

Despite this being the group’s third defensive coordinator in four years, players have caught on to Evans’ system quickly, and it all starts up front.

The leader of the unit may be a freshman, as Paul “Trey” Kyles is a 6-foot-2 edge rusher who already holds an offer from West Virginia and is primed to earn more as time wears on.

In addition, junior Jaysean Willis played as an underclassmen and was tabbed as a breakout candidate at tackle/end.

Contrary to the youth movement up front, the next level of the defense is spearheaded by a veteran.

“I’ve been coaching for 27 years, and you won’t find a better leader than Will Carr in our linebacking corps,” Evans said. “He’s a vocal leader for us, but he also is a guy that leads in the classroom and community the right way.”

Carr has yet to be fully healthy for an entire season, and thus the Daphne coaching staff is hoping the senior can play end-to-end in his final ride.

Joining Carr in that linebacking corps will be junior John Hill, a hybrid defensive end/linebacker who Evans believes is primed for a strong fall.

But for as much talent as the Trojans boast in the front seven of their defense, the secondary may be the strongest unit overall.

“I’ve never had two corners as athletic as we have here,” Evans said. “Karson Lacey is one of our most complete players, and Jaiden Lee has excellent top-end speed and has gotten a lot better at playing his techniques.”

Karson’s brother, Karle “KJ” Lacey Jr., currently plays for the University of Texas as a sophomore quarterback, while Lee is a four-year starter on the other side of the field.

The versatile STAR position will be manned by senior Steve Allen, and junior Kaden Brown was called “ultra-talented” at free safety. Evans even went as far as to say that Brown reminded him of former Clemson star Nolan Turner and Tennessee phenom Will Brooks, both of whom played for the coach while he was at Vestavia Hills High School.

Overall, the plan is for the defense to present multiple looks throughout the season, and despite there being some question marks regarding depth, Evans does like the young talent he has waiting in the wings.

“The more guys step up and prove they can play on the field, then maybe they don’t beat the guy in front of them, but they can take his spot on special teams,” Evans said. “And that shows up when you talk about injuries and fatigue late in the season.”

But alongside their work in prepping this team for on-field success, the Daphne coaching staff has made it a point to impact these kids off the field as well. With King being a product of the area and plenty of other coaches having local ties, individuals like secondary coach Marcus McCarty pride themselves on positively impacting the athletes they coach.

“At the end of the day, I want to make sure that I do my best to help these kids grow as young men,” McCarty said. “And that’s so hopefully they’ll go into the workforce, be productive, reliable professionals and be good fathers one day. I want these kids to say that with how we coached them and carried ourselves, it made them a better person.”

That mindset is reflected on the offensive side of the ball as well, and coordinator Trey Sullivan similarly has an experienced group returning.

A trio of returning starters on the line will set the tone, and senior quarterback Christian Segar is back under center after throwing for a school-record 37 touchdown passes last year.

The South Alabama commit is set for an even more productive 2026 campaign, but he’ll need to find some reliable targets in order to break more records.

“We graduated three receivers, so when we got into the summer we were trying to get the new corps up to speed,” Sullivan said. “We have some really talented players there, they’re just young.”

Sullivan knows there is great long-term potential in the receiver room, but he’s hoping to find a couple of players that can consistently create explosive plays for his current offense.

“We just need to find some guys that can stretch the field for us and get some hidden yardage,” Sullivan said. “That will be very important for this offense going forward.”

Fortunately for Segar, he figures to have a strong rushing attack to fall back on. Sullivan plans to split carries in a two-back system, and he believes that sophomore Sheldon Richardson — nicknamed “E-Man” — will quickly become a household name.

“I feel like everybody will know about him by the end of the season,” Sullivan said.

And that ground game may have to be relied upon early, because Daphne does not ease into its schedule.

The Trojans will play a Thursday night game on Aug. 20 at rival Spanish Fort to kick off the regional slate, a contest that will serve as a true tone-setter for both sides.

“I’m looking forward to it because it’ll be a great atmosphere,” McCarty said of the opener. “And it’ll give us the next day to really sit down with the kids and watch film.”

A strong Carver program visits Daphne the next week, and the Trojans will also play Robertsdale, Foley and Fairhope later in the fall.

“Our schedule overall is going to be pretty tough because it’s not so much about who you play, but when you play them,” Evans said, alluding to the back-to-back opening games against Spanish Fort and Carver. “But bigger than any of that, I just want to know how we handle adversity. Because if we can handle the tough points, everything else will be fine.”

With veterans all over the field and a coaching staff that knows what it takes to win at the highest level, Daphne is primed to produce a memorable fall on the Eastern Shore.

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