In 2022, James Clemens missed the Alabama High School Athletic Association football playoffs for just the second time since the first two seasons the school fielded a team in 2012 and 2013.

Looking forward after the 4-6 finish last year, Jets head coach Chad McGehee is sending 110 players through preseason drills with a plan to get back in the postseason.

“We talk about winning a championship, but there is only so much we can control about it because we cannot control injuries or another school getting five 5-star transfers moving in,” the third-year Jets coach said. “What we can control is what we do on a daily basis to put ourselves in the best place to be successful.”

McGehee led James Clemens to a 10-1 finish in his first season at the Madison school, replacing Wade Waldrop who had coached the Jets for eight years after taking over for Bill Stewart – the program’s first head coach.

The Jets have 16 starters returning, including senior defensive end Nathan Jennings, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound University of South Alabama commitment.

James Clemens will look to junior Ty Marsh to step up at quarterback as the replacement for All-State pick Gio Lopez, who is now a freshman at South Alabama. Marsh started three games when Lopez was out with injuries a year ago, completing 40-of-70 passes for 433 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

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Marsh will look to connect with second-team All-State performer Ty Doughty, a 5-9, 170-pound wide receiver who caught 53 passes for 772 yards and eight TDs. Senior wideout Devon Cooper, the Jets’ fastest wideout who has been clocked at 4.45 seconds in the 40-yard dash at camps this summer, is another likely frequent target for Marsh.

Joining Jennings on the defensive front is senior tackle Fred Poe, who is 5-11 and 327 pounds and the strongest player on the squad, and senior defensive back Brody Stinson.

Stinson, a returning starter, said he shares a sense of responsibility to be a leader. “We all need to step up and be willing to correct players if they are not doing things correctly or slacking off,” he said. “We also have to play under control and avoid penalties that extend drives and just think what it is that you want to accomplish out there.”

Senior defensive lineman Jalen Brown (6-6, 235) has offers from Maryland, Troy and Arkansas State.

McGehee’s kicking game is in junior Anthony Ortiz’ hands – or foot. Ortiz handles both the punting and place-kicking duties.

“We will make those fourth-down decisions depending on where we are on the field and how comfortable we are kicking field goals,” McGehee said. “We have been known to leave our quarterback on the field to punt it out of our offensive set and try to pin them back, which has been good to us.”

The Jets, like many schools, use high-tech equipment to assist in practice. James Clemens flies drones during practice to video every rep and has tethered drones on Friday nights to get a bird’s-eye view of the field.

James Clemens finished at 4-3 in Class 7A Region 4 play, along with Huntsville and Bob Jones, but finished in fifth place in the standings due to tie-breaker calculations. Austin took the top spot and Florence was second with 6-1 records.

The Jets kick off the season at Gardendale on Aug. 25.