First-year Hoover coach Drew Gilmer knows patience is a key for returning the Bucs to the top in Class 7A.

The problem?

“I’m not a patient person,” he said this week.

Gilmer spent 14 years at Clay-Chalkville before taking over at Hoover during the off-season. He helped the Cougars win two of the last three Class 6A state titles.

His challenge now is to replicate that success at a program that has won 11 state titles since 2000 but hasn’t captured one since 2017.

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“You take things for granted after a while,” Gilmer said. “I was at Clay for 14 years. Everyone knew what to expect, what to do, from the players to the managers to the coaches. It’s going to take time here. This is a big place. It’s going to take time to get everyone comfortable and to know the things we have to do every day to win championships.”

Gilmer said the first step is daily discipline.

“Dominate the details,” he said. “The details are the things that matter. We can’t go out and expect to win because Hoover is on our jersey. What we want to say is, ‘Here is the path. Are we disciplined enough and hungry enough to do it because it’s not going to be easy, but we can do it if we stay the course.’”

Gilmer spent the last seven of his 14 years at Clay-Chalkville as head coach. He went 81-12 during that time, including perfect seasons and state championships in 2021 and 2023. He was 20-5 overall in the playoffs. Last year’s team, led by Jaylen Mbakwe at quarterback, upset defending champ Saraland 31-28 in the title game at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

With that type of consistent, sustained success, it would be easy to wonder why Gilmer might want to take on the challenge of Hoover.

“There were several reasons,” he said. “First, Hoover has unlimited resources. Everything is here to make it as good as you can possibly make it. It should be one of the best jobs in the country in my opinion. That was a big deal.

“Also, it was probably time for me to do something different, be somewhere different. Sometimes a change can be rejuvenating. For this job, my family and I didn’t have to pick up and move to another state or move North or South. It was the right place at the right time. God works in mysterious ways. His plan is a lot better than mine.”

Gilmer is just the fourth coach since 1999 at Hoover but the second in three years. He replaced Wade Waldrop, who spent just two years leading the Bucs and is now the head coach at Orange Beach. The Bucs lost five of their first six games in 2023 before rallying to make the playoffs and reach the second round. Still, the 5-7 finish was the team’s worst since 1998 – the year before Rush Propst took the job.

Through the spring and summer so far, Gilmer likes what he has seen at Hoover.

“The kids are doing really well,” he said. “I’m excited. I think we are really talented. We just have to put all the pieces together. The kids are intelligent, and they want to work hard and be pushed. I’ve been very pleased with how the kids and the coaches have responded.”

Gilmer said the Hoover defense has the makings of being one of the top defenses he’s coached. On offense, a pair of new Hoover quarterbacks (Mac Beason and Carter Dotson) will try to get the ball to explosive 2026 receiver Jonah Winston as much as possible.

As has become a Hoover tradition, the Bucs will start the season on a national stage. Gilmer’s first game will be against Western of Davie, Fla., as part of the Broward County National Football Showcase on Aug. 24.

“That was already set up before I got here,” Gilmer said. “But we are excited about it. It will be a good experience for our guys. I always like to go somewhere early in the season and spend the night since that is generally what you do at state championship games.”